June 2014 - Factory Vintage

9 Ways to Turn Off Customers

dealing-with-upset-customers As individuals we all have our own little per peeves. What may turn off one customer may not bother another. However, as retailers we can’t afford to turn off one single customer. Image is everything. Keeping our stores neat and clean is not only easy to do; it’s generally an inexpensive way to attract customers and create a pleasant store atmosphere. In today’s world a disgruntle customer can cause a lot more damage than they could in the past. With social media and the many companies like yelp online, an upset customer has a platform to express their disgust.

Brand Identity : 3 – Your Company Website

In this day an age your website is another huge factor in your brand identity. It will be a tool that in and of itself can open up an entire world of opportunity for your business either when you open your doors or down the road. I would recommend having a professional design your website, like your logo, this will be many customers first impression of your business long before they walk into the door.

Your website should be broken up into a few distinct sections or pages with an easy to use navigation system. You should also use a design that is responsive, that means it is easy to use and navigate a number of different hand held devices.

Hire Your First Employee

Running a successful vintage store takes time and money. You need to make sure that your store is open adequate hours and that there is adequate staff to be in the store those hours. Retail isn’t easy, as the old sang goes, “Retail is 366 days a year, with no breaks.” Each hour your store is closed, is a potential missed sell. The more your shop is closed the more missed sells you will have.

If your business is booming, but you are struggling to keep up, perhaps it’s time to hire some help. If you do hire employees, which will most likely be the case, there is information that you need to secure for your records and forms that you must complete for the IRS.

How To Build A Clothing Display Rack Using Recycled Pallets

Recycled Pallet Rack What better way to display one-of-a-kind recycled clothing but on a display rack made out of recycled articles. You can build display racks with just about anything you find. Old desks and armoires can be used to display merchandise and accessories. I have even seen old refrigerators and household appliances being used to display products well. The idea is that you do not have to purchase new displays or clothing racks to display your products if you can just get a little creative.

Using recycled pallet racks is another great way to display merchandise and accessories and it is actually quite easy to make. In this article we will go step by step through the process of what it takes to make a recycled pallet rack clothing display.

Brand Identity : 2 – Store Sign & Visual Displays

Yes, the way you display your tee shirts matters!

How your store looks is sometimes more important that what you are selling. Is your store entrance inviting? Are your tables and wall standards easy to get to? Are you telling a good visual “story” with your windows? We’ll explore the basics on merchandising your store from a visual perspective and also discuss how to build a formula to keep your store fresh and exciting to your frequent shoppers as well as your new guests.

Let’s start off with a quick definition from ddi magazine – “Visual merchandising takes your consumer from the retail display to the cash register. Encouraging sales through creative color and commercial retail design is a key element to keeping a customer interested.” Nicely put. So what does this mean?