As the
luxury market is becoming increasingly crowded and competitive, personal
shopping, with its ability of fostering engaged customer relationships, is
helping in boosting client loyalty as well as increasing conversion rates. This
is an important weapon in the retailer's fight for share of wallet. However, in
some respects, luxury personal shopping services are preaching to be converted
where you have to only book an appointment if you were already planning to
spend. The people that might be attracted to these services will typically be
the most loyal and high-spending customers. In the last few years, these services
have trickled down from the luxury sector to the mass market, where brand
loyalty has become harder to come by and the average customer spend is also not
high.
Shopping
can be a harrowing and an expensive affair, if you are not sure about choosing
the right places and the right clothes for you. A smart shopping experience might
only guide you on what is right for you. However, in personal shopping, an
Image Consultant or a Personal Shopper accompanies
you after a pre-shopping analysis and also takes you to the right places that
sell what you need. The Image Consultant is equipped with the deep knowledge to
evaluate your physical and psychological characteristics, values & traits
and recommend you the best styles, colors, fabrics, patterns and accessories
which suit you. Also you would be taken to the right places to make your
choices under the guidance of the consultant, which would save your money, time
and effort.
Ideally
Personal Shopping services are best availed when the consultant evaluates your
life style, personal style, body shape and color characteristics. For example
if you can spend more, then the personal shopper will recommend you to Buy Birkin bag. This would give you the best
advantage, as the Consultant would have evaluated all aspects about your
physical and psychological traits and values in detail and can give
comprehensive recommendations in return.
HOW
DOES IT WORK?
Firstly,
it is all about increasing exposure to the product. During a personal shopping appointment,
a customer is introduced to more products that they would otherwise consider
based upon the requirements. For example if a client is looking for a dress,
the Personal Shopper may also
attempt to cross-sell them shoes, bag and jewelry to match. Personal shoppers
do the leg-work to find the product which is based on the client’s budget,
tastes and the occasion for which they may be shopping. This is because every
class of people cannot afford Louis Vuitton Bag.
Inside
the changing room, when the clothes come off and the barriers come down, the personal
shopper can even become salesperson and a trusted second opinion. While there
is usually no obligation to buy, in some stores personal shoppers work on
commission whereby walking out empty handed after attentive one-on-one service
is a difficult move for a client to pull off.
PROS AND
CONS OF STARTING A PERSONAL SHOPPING BUSINESS
PROS
·
It does not require a
lot of money to start a business.
·
There is no need for
any inventory. You just need a deep knowledge about everything your customer
wants.
·
While some of the personal
shopper works on commission base, likewise, it allows you to get paid to shop.
·
It helps in building
rewarding relationships with your clients who trust you blindly to take good
decisions on their behalf. If a customer is expecting you to recommend some
quality branded products, and you make them purchase Louis Vuitton Bag. This way the customer might get happy, that you
know what he wants. This builds trust relationship.
CONS
·
It can be difficult to
have enough clients to make a living. However, the most ideal location for a
personal shopper business is in or near a large or metro city.
·
It is not recession-proof.
So, in a tough economy, a personal shopper might be an extravagant expense that
many families would cut.
·
It may be very
difficult to convince people to pay you so that you can shop for them.
·
Picky clients can be
very difficult to please as well as handle. If you want them to Buy Birkin bag, but
they want to try some other brand product, which might not match their traits.
This might create confusion.
·
You may be asked to
work in unusual hours or put in a lot of time even in holidays too.