Consumers are scaling back on their spending. As a result, boutiques are having a difficult time keeping their doors open. Of course, the more determined and innovative business owners have come up with a solution.
Across the country, more and more brick & mortar retailers are closing up their stores, but not all are shutting down their businesses. Some are hosting occasional weekend or day-long sales, sometimes on their own, and sometimes with other companies. Kasey Buick, of Lola B’s, stages special sales in her 100 year-old farmhouse in Illinois. If you don’t have a cool location like that at your disposal, it would be relatively easy to find a space to borrow or rent for a weekend.
Because there is no longer the overhead associated with renting and operating a shop, items can be priced lower without affecting the profit margin. And because the shop is temporary, customers know if they see something they like, it is now or never. Additionally, customers that do show up are doing so because they’re ready to buy. Because of all of this, sellers may make more on the weekend of a special sale then they would during a couple of months of working in their shop.
These pop-up storefronts offer a flexible schedule and an opportunity for people to test the retail waters. If you are ready to branch out beyond your online store, or ready to crawl out from under the costs of your shop, consider trying this new approach.
If you want to get a group together, make sure all of the products have a similar type of customer. Jewelry, women’s apparel, and organic lotion would go well together. If you group lingerie, perfume and handcrafted furniture, someone is going to lose out. You want to ensure the most sales for all of the participants.
The holidays are almost here, so it’s a perfect time to give it a try. If you’re interested, check out these sites to see how some are already doing this.
I like that! Very cool concept.
It's a pretty cool concept. I've read several articles about this. It seems to be a new trend.