With the dominance of large marketplaces like Amazon comes the mindset that boutique retailers no longer have a place in online retail. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth! Because boutiques fill a specific need that Amazon doesn’t have. And honing in on that need can have you cashing in on your target market, leading to building a multimillion-dollar company through e-commerce and fewer locations across the country.
What is a Boutique Retailer?
A boutique business focuses on a small niche segment – serving clients who want a personalized experience and want to know that they are getting the very best products or services. It’s focused on appealing to your very targeted audience.
Why Boutiques?
There are many benefits of selling on boutiques, and should be a major part of your marketing strategy. Here are some of the unique advantages boutique retailers bring:
- Reach a niche audience. There’s a reason why the term “niche down” has become so popular with online marketing. Eliminating all the noise and attracting that specific buyer who actually wants to buy your product is how you make sales. And lots of them. Don’t be afraid to “niche down!”
- Less competition. Instead of aiming to have the most sellers on a platform, a boutiques’ objective is to find the best fit for their audience – which ultimately means less competition for you! This will give you the opportunity to stand out and attract authentic buyers for your products.
- Customer loyalty. There’s really nothing that can compete with a loyal customer. They will continue buying your products, organically help market your brand, and give great reviews. Most boutique retailers know the value of building influence and trust, providing their customers with a personal connection.
Creating an Experience
There’s a huge difference between buying and shopping, and it all boils down to the experience. While large marketplaces like Amazon provide buying, they do not offer the shopping experience that customers crave as boutique retailers do.
Your customers really do care about the entire shopping experience – online and offline. Boutique retailers are successful because they are providing that inspired experience. They are not simply stores providing a product or service – they are educators.
Cultivating a Community
Another integral part of the overall customer experience of a boutique retailer is the online community it creates. And that includes integrating social media into the mix.
Many boutiques use social media such as Live Videos, Instagram Stories, and Facebook groups to connect like-minded customers on the platform. They encourage community members to share in the experience through user generated content with contests, discounts, friend recommendations, or referral codes while building up a stronger retail community. It’s a real community over competition atmosphere.
How Cymbio Can Help You Sell on Boutique Retailers
Unique to any existing platform is one connection to Cymbio allows you to sell on any boutique as well as marketplaces and department stores regardless of systems, data-sets and protocols.
Reach new markets and meet your target customers exactly where they are. Increase digital sales channels through fully automated drop ship and marketplace operations.