San Francisco, May 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- If you have a passion for fashion, your fingers on the pulse of the hottest new trends, and a love of helping women look and feel amazing, then starting a bridal boutique could put all of your talents to use. But, it’s not all whimsy and dress-up. Bridal boutique owners get to assist brides in discovering the perfect dress for their big day, and they may use their fashion sense and creativity to share new designs and ideas with upcoming brides and their bridal parties. One of the perks of owning a wedding boutique is witnessing the moment when a bride finds the ideal gown. Marina Andriichenko, the owner of Bridal Breeze shares insights to guarantee success at your bridal boutique. Having started her bridal boutique from scratch, she knows just how challenging and rewarding it can be. Here are her 5 biggest tips:
Marina Andriichenko, Founder of Bridal Breeze
1. Define What Sets You Apart
The key to a successful and profitable bridal boutique is to create a unique experience and environment. Most cities will have numerous bridal shops, so you need to set yourself apart. A great way to do this is by the experience and selection of wedding dresses that you offer.
Do market research to determine what is missing in your area. In Marina’s case, she discovered that the San Francisco area lacked a selection of high-quality designer wedding dresses under $4,000. So, she found top-notch bridal designers from Europe that weren’t offered in the U.S.A, making her selection affordable and unique.
2. Don’t Spend Too Much Before You Open
This is a mistake that many entrepreneurs in various industries make. For example, when you’re opening a bridal boutique, the worst thing you can do is spend a ton of money on your retail space, decorations, furnishings, and wedding dress inventory. Don’t get us wrong, you need these things, but you shouldn’t go overboard in the beginning.
Instead, open your bridal boutique without spending exorbitant amounts of money. Why? Well, in the beginning, you won’t know how busy you will be, and you won’t know what style of wedding dresses will be popular. If you buy 100 wedding gowns, and the brides don’t like them, you have just wasted a lot of money and possibly your opportunity to thrive.
We suggest that you open your bridal boutique with 20 - 30 wedding dress styles in various silhouettes and details. And make it cozy, pretty, and comfortable without spending a fortune.
3. Explore Marketing Channels
Everyone will tell you that you need to market your wedding business on the “Big Marketing Channels.” But that’s not true for everyone. What works for one bridal boutique may not work for another. So, do your own tests and research. For example, paid Google ads may not bring the brides to your door; maybe brides find you on The Knot or Wedding Wire. And don’t forget about the other search engines such as Yelp. They are a great source of traffic for your business.
4. Don’t Over-Buy Inventory
We know that you’ll be swooning over all the new wedding dress designs every season, and trust us, we get it! There is nothing more beautiful than a wedding dress when it comes to fashion. But with that said, buying too much inventory is a sure way to see your doors close quickly.
A massive chunk of your budget will go to wedding dress inventory, and if you let your mind be smitten by every pretty gown you see, you’ll be in trouble. And for many reasons. More and more inventory means you’ll need a bigger space if brides don’t like the dress -it’s wasted money, wedding dresses get discontinued, which means you can no longer benefit monetarily from it.
5. Team
One of the most critical aspects of your bridal boutique from the beginning and every day that it survives is to have a team that is passionate, patient, and has a mind that thinks outside the box.
To have a highly successful bridal sales team at your bridal boutique, you need to hire people that have a heart—ones that aren’t conceited and self-centered. And once you find the right stylists, you have to train them properly. Provide them with training on fabrics, laces, embellishments, silhouettes, custom changes, and other dress-related items. But also provide them with a sales script to get them started, teach them how to read body language, and teach them how to listen to what the bride likes and what she doesn’t like.
But it doesn’t stop there! Implement standards and expectations not just for sales but for service and attitude. Have a dress code, policies, and procedures. People like structure, and it’s proven that they do better and sell better when they have structure.
Opening and running a successful bridal boutique is an enriching experience. But it takes a lot of dedication, creative thinking, hard work, and passion, But when you do it right, you can and will reap the rewards - brides that love you and sing your praises.
