Getting a new fashion boutique off the ground is not an easy process. Particularly if you’re running a brick-and-mortar boutique. You’re competing with a lot of different brands. You’re also competing with the clock. The bills don’t care if your business is taking off too slowly. The bills are still going to come. So you need to be able to get customers coming through your door quickly. Luckily, there are ways to get your boutique in the minds of customers and those customers in your boutique.
To promote your fashion boutique in 5 quick steps:
- Create a Recognizable Brand and Brand Everything
- Give a Great Customer Experience
- Make the Most of Your Internet Presence and Google Results
- Become Part of Your Community
- Hold In-Store Events
Create a Recognizable Brand and Brand Everything

What’s the difference between a boutique and a generic clothing and jewelry store? The biggest one is branding. A generic store sells generic products. There’s no way to tell at a glance who made a generic dress or some other article of clothing because there’s no logo on it. It might as well be from Wal-Mart.
If you want to be a boutique, your products must have a logo. Something that distinguishes your merchandise from other brands and generic big-box store merchandise. This might take some work, It can be hard to come up with a logo on your own and even harder to design. You will probably need to consult with a local artist or a company that specializes in logo design. Ideally, your logo should be one of the first things you design along with your initial line of products.
Your logo should always be somewhere on your products. If the product in question is clothes, there should be a logo on them that people can readily see. You want the people walking by your customer or working in their office to see those clothes and think, “Oh those are from that boutique. I should look it up. Maybe they have something for me”
If the product is jewelry, you’ll want your logo prominently displayed on the jewelry box.
How To Legally Sell Your Clothes Online
Give a Great Customer Experience
The best way to promote your boutique is to give your customers a great experience that they’ll tell their friends about. Word-of-mouth is the lifeblood of small businesses.
The clientele for a boutique is far different from the clientele at a big box store. A big box store customer wants to grab some clothes, maybe try some on if they have to, and get out. This often doesn’t require much in the way of staff interaction.
A boutique customer wants a more active staff. They come from the big box stores where they struggle to get any staff members to help them. They want someone who can tailor their experience to fit them. This can include things like offering fashion advice. This can be important for new customers who have never been to a boutique before and may not know all the fashion jargon. Some customers come to boutiques to buy things and get the interaction and attention that they couldn’t get at the local big-box store. Much like salons, customers can come in for the social experience as much as the clothes themselves.

It can be a good idea to have a system that tracks the purchases of frequent customers (with their consent of course). Such a system can help your staff tailor their customer’s experience and help them find what they need faster.
Of course, tailoring the customer’s experience may also include minimal interaction. Some customers are already more introverted and don’t want staff hounding them with suggestions for what to buy. This type of customer can be easily overwhelmed by people offering them suggestions. Other customers already know what they want and want to get in and out.
Like with most things in life, the key is balance. Your employees need to be trained to be active and helpful but also need to know when to back off. Make sure the customers know your employees are there and make sure they aren’t a hindrance to the customers.
Organization
A big part of the boutique experience is being able to find what you need. The layout of your boutique is important. You have to make sure everything is easy to find and that customers aren’t lost looking for what they need.
Your boutique also has to be clean. One of the reasons people like to shop at boutiques rather than online is that they can try stuff on rather than buy something that doesn’t fit and go through all the trouble of sending it back and waiting for a replacement. But they won’t want to try things on in a changing room that is filthy. So you’ll need to give your best effort to keep your boutique clean and organized.
Make the Most of Your Internet Presence and Google Results
Your website is an important tool in your promotion arsenal. When people are looking for new places to shop, they check online. They look at the website to see if your store has what they need. Your website needs to have a list of your typical stock, Give a tour of your boutique to show customers what you have.

Don’t be afraid to use some of the newer tools the Internet has brought us. Get in touch with local influencers to see if they want to show off your products. Run an active social media page where you can engage with customers and share things like specials and announce new products. Encourage customers to leave positive reviews of your boutique on Google, Foursquare, and any other places that take customer reviews of local businesses. Above all else, include pictures of people wearing your clothes.
The most important tool in your online arsenal will be making sure your Google information is up to date. While word-of-mouth is essential, a big problem is that people’s memories can be faulty. They may give their friends the wrong addresses or might not know the hours. This is where having your information on Google comes in handy. Having your results correct reduces the amount of time customers spend looking for your location.
How To License Your Clothing Brand In 5 Easy Steps
Become Part of Your Community
The backbone of any small business is the local community. But just because you set up a business in the community doesn’t mean the community will embrace you overnight. You have to be the one to embrace your community. Show up to community events and be the face of the business. Show support for whatever groups the community is rallying behind (high school teams for example). Donate to charitable causes and events. For example, there are non-profits like Night to Shine that hold proms for special needs students. Your local Night to Shine event might be something your boutique can get involved in.
Plus, you can use your involvement in the community as material for your social media content.
If you embrace your community, it will embrace you.
Hold In-Store Events
Boutiques often hold events like sample sales (where they offload merchandise from a previous season) or trunk sales (where they introduce their latest lines), but don’t be afraid to try other ideas. If you’re selling jewelry, it might be a good idea to invite a gemologist to give a talk for example.

In-store events can be complicated but the results are worth it. In-store events attract curious new customers. On a normal day, people often pass by small businesses without a second thought but get curious when they see an event going on That or they get invited by a friend. Events can encourage impulse buying. A lot of people go to these events with no intent to buy anything but often leave the store with unintended purchases, especially when the food and drinks start going around (just make sure to keep the food and drinks away from the merchandise). You can increase the odds of people purchasing things at events with things like discounts or giving a small gift with a purchase.
Events are also a good opportunity to get attention on social media. Since most people carry their phones with them, and most phones have cameras and social media apps, encourage customers to take photos of the event (especially any clothing you’re displaying) and post the photos online and encourage their friends to visit.
These can also be a good way to get to know your customers in a more relaxed setting. Use the opportunity to learn what your boutique is doing right and where it can improve. Since you’ll likely be seeing new customers at these events, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself to them. Establishing good relationships with new customers at events will encourage them to come back on regular days.
How To Market Your Clothing Brand On Social Media
Related Questions
Do you have any tips for social media management?
Make sure you always have veto power over what is posted. More than a few businesses have gotten in trouble because an employee that was trusted with the store’s social media page posted something inappropriate. As a rule of thumb, if you wouldn’t post it on your mom’s page, don’t post it to your business’ page.
How can I maximize the number of people on the floor helping customers?
Get a Point of Sale System. With new technology, you don’t need to have employees standing at cash registers. You can have them ring up the product right on the sales floor.
To learn more about how to start your own fashion clothing line check out my startup documents here
Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.

Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Fashion Business Fan.
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a designer or boutique owner at a craft fair, farmers market, retail location or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Fashion Business Boss: I want to help fashion business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.