{Staging} Smart Image, Great Products = Winning Combo

A once pitiful dog boutique went through an amazing image makeover and is now a Hip Hangout for Cosmopolitan Canines.

Why?

The owners dream was to help make money for the family and help pay for her kids’ college.  The owners reality was that the business was actually losing money, not making money!

With the much needed biz makeover, the Woof Dog Boutique is drawing the “right” kind of attention from pet owners, many whom break into enormous grins as soon as they walk through the door.

“Having a boutique is an art form,” says owner Diane Serafino.  “I know other stores sell pet clothes and things like that, but there’s nothing set up like this!”

The Woof Dog Boutique, caters mainly to canines, offering everything from imitation UGG boots to studded jean jackets to veterinarian-approved nail polish.

Two major issues were happening in the business:

1. Chaos and Clutter.  The windows were so chaotic and cluttered that you couldn’t even see in to see what the store had to offer.  Then if you did walk through the doors, the first thing that came to mind was, “Don’t panic, don’t panic.”
2. No real marketing/promoting.  The business wasn’t integrated into the community. The shop is located in a young, hip area that has lots of people with dogs and yet, no one knew it was there!

Here’s some before and after pictures of the window displays and merchandising.

Windows: from chaotic and cluttered, to being able to see in the windows and what’s inside for sale.  Now everyone can see it’s a dog store and that it truly looks like a ‘ hip canine boutique’.

Merchandising: from disorganized and overwhelm, to everything is in order and has a flow. The leashes are with leashes, the food is with the food, the clothes are all together.  Tip: remember to keep like things together!  Now they have shelving that helps display everything nicely and helps customers see all the products that are available.

Can your business offer another income stream?  The Woof Boutique does.

It turns out that the owner’s daughter has a talent and passion for art. So now the shop also offers custom dog portraits.  Another value they can offer their customers and more money in the register.

Today, Woof even hosts obedience-school graduations with custom-fitted caps and gowns, and dog birthdays with pooch-friendly ice cream, “Happy Tail” beef-flavored beer and “Barkundy” wine…but remember, it wasn’t always this way!

Another major issue was the lack of integration of the business into the community.

So a flyer was created to hand out at the local dog park near the shop.  This illustrates one example of ‘getting out there in a big way’ inexpensively and ‘hanging out where your customers hang out’… both of these are explained/taught in greater length in our 90-Day Bootcamp.

A flyer is a great way to introduce your business and talk to potential customers.

Note: Now that the Woof Boutique has an image that resonates with their ideal customer, it makes it a whole heck of a lot easier to take their image out there and promote it…in a way that their customer understands!!!

Here’s another great idea to promote your business…provide opportunities that allow you to invite the community into your biz!

The Woof Boutique has a weekly YAPPY HOUR where they invite the community in to hang out, get to know each other, enjoy doggie beer and treats…and generate some additional sales.

Make your own image t-shirts like these fun Cosmo Girl t-shirts seen above. We have a DIY that you can follow here.

Having a business image that appeals to your ideal customer is smart and when you have great products and make it easy to shop/buy from you, you’ve got a winning $$$ combination!

I hope this has inspired you to look at your business differently.

Need more inspiration or a helping hand?  We offer one-on-one consulting sessions.

 

Images via Peter Perfect/The Style Network