Independent Shoe Retailer

Ma Petite Chou: Fashion Week - fab bags and shoes

2007-02-14T18:32:00.000-05:00

Ma Petite Chou: Fashion Week - fab bags and shoes

Independent Shoe Retailer: Some Reasons Why Women Purchase Shoes!

2007-02-14T18:15:00.000-05:00

Independent Shoe Retailer: Some Reasons Why Women Purchase Shoes!

Some Reasons Why Women Purchase Shoes!

2007-02-14T13:44:00.000-05:00

I'm sure there are numerous reasons why women purchase shoes. It could be because of fit, comfort, color, style, heel, price etc. You name it I've heard it...or so i thought-- until today. Red seems to be pretty popular. I had a customer yesterday ask me for red shoes because she recently purchased a red belt and wanted to match the belt. Today I had a customer request red shoes because she had just dyed her hair red. Go figure....Hey! as long as it makes her feel special, feel happy and feel good...Why Not. There are few pleasures left in life and one of them is having that special pair of shoes, no matter the reason for purchasing it.

Spring is almost here!

2007-02-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

When I think of Spring I think of everything being new or renewed. The blossoming and blooming of flowers, the smell of fresh air, the brightness of the sun and the sounds of birds chirping all contribute to this renewed feeling during this special time of the year.

Our women’s spring shoes are fabulous and are beginning to arrive. I love the looks, the colors, the heels and the affordable prices. Customers, who have seen them, are excited and enthusiastic -- they just love them. One of my customers took several pairs on her last trip and our sales on spring items thus far are above expectations.

Internet Shoe Sales

2007-02-05T14:07:00.000-05:00

Selling shoes on the internet creates a lot variety and many choices for the potential customer. It also creates logistical issues and additional cost for the seller. Because of such a vast audience, the internet becomes a unique competitor. Internet shoe sites such as zappos.com and shoe buy have taken the internet shoe business to new heights. A consumer can purchase just about any style, size, color or brand off the internet. The ease and convenience of ordering a pair off shoes with a click of a button is very appealing to some customers, and when all goes well with the purchase (style, size, etc), it’s a winning combination. However, after receiving the product and when the style, size, color or brand does not meet the customer’s requirements that instant gratification of clicking a button becomes an inconvenience for that customer and higher cost to the seller. See article from Ziff Davis CIO Insight: http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1540,2055769,00.asp

The retail shoe industry is one where very many customers still like to make their purchase the old fashion way – buying from a retail brick and mortar.

Fashion: 'Peep shoes' give toes room to breathe - Life

2007-02-05T13:15:00.000-05:00

Fashion: 'Peep shoes' give toes room to breathe - Life

Trungent's Home Business Blog

2007-02-04T19:03:00.000-05:00

Trungent's Home Business Blog

Department Stores

2007-02-03T13:56:00.000-05:00

When looking at department stores and like Mass Merchandisers, they offer a lot of variety and styles as it relates to women’s shoes. Department stores tend to carry the more popular brands as well as keeping pace with the ever changing fashion trends. Additionally, they too place a good amount of focus on margins and volume.

Some of the challenges for department stores become 1. Getting the right brands and style to the right market; what sells in NYC may not sell in LA. 2. Managing large inventories. 3. Managing customer returns, as many department stores have liberal return policies. 4. Having a strong staff which offers great customer service. These challenges for a department store create opportunities for an independent shoe retailer such as me.

Although I have very many of the same challenges, these challenges are much more manageable. It is much easier for me to choose my brands because I continuously solicit on-going feedback from my customers. My inventory needs are not as vast as that of a department store, so managing the inventory is also easier. Returns are quite manageable as we focus on personalized service, the right style and proper fit for our customers so we get very few returns – all of our returns to date have been due to a manufacturers defect. As for customer service, we pride ourselves on providing our customers with great customer service!

Mass Merchandisers

2007-02-02T11:04:00.000-05:00

When we take a look at Mass Merchandisers, they tend to offer a lot of variety as it relates to general merchandise. Price and getting the customer into the store is a key factor for Mass Merchandisers. As a result Mass Merchandisers will price specific items on sale, and distribute circulars of these items in local newspapers to attract consumers to their stores. As customers shop their stores the hope is that they will buy the items being advertised at a low price along with other items that are assumed to be at a low price without comparison shopping.

Source: Missouri Small Business Development Centers

As it relates to shoes, Mass Merchandisers will focus on margins and volume and not necessarily on the quality of the shoe. Mass Merchandisers also lack in personalize service to the customer. These two areas, quality and service, creates a great opportunity for the independent shoe retailer to compete. An independent shoe retailer can differentiate themselves from the Mass Merchandiser by offering specialized brands, quality brands and superior customer service to attract their customer.

For a more in depth analysis of Mass Merchandisers visit Missouri Small Business Development Centers at: www.missouribusiness.net/docs/competing_mass_merchandisers.asp

Competition

2007-02-01T10:23:00.000-05:00

Competition is vital to all industries and helps to create an even playing field. In my opinion, what makes the shoe industry interesting are the various choices that consumers have and how competitors try to predict what the consumer will purchase. From a number of different styles, heels, colors, brands, prices and how and where they will purchase, the consumer rules. Predicting then becomes much more complex and therefore it becomes critical to “know thy customer”. However to some extent it is also important to understand your competition, and how they operate.

I consider anyone selling women’s shoes as my competitor. In looking at the retail trade channels for the shoe industry, the independent segment accounts for a small percentage of the total business. Therefore it makes it even harder for me to compete -- Given that consumers can purchase from a vast number a retail trade channels to include the independent like me, a mass merchandiser like Wal-Mart www.walmart.com, a department store like Nordstrom www.nordstrom.com, or on the internet from various internet retailers such as www.zappos.com, www.shoebuy.com. The independent shoe retailer has to effectively compete against these other trade channels by setting higher standards as it relates to servicing their customers.

Customers!

2007-01-31T16:19:00.000-05:00

I must be the luckiest retailer on the planet. Despite the ups and downs of retail, and despite the inconsistent results of advertising –This women’s shoe store continues to do well. I thank all my faithful customers who continue to purchase their shoes from my store. For such a new store and one without a track record, customer really like us – they really do! Well when I really think about it, it really isn’t luck at all. At this woman’s shoe store we take great pride in servicing our customers – we strive to make her time spent in our store “the highlight of her day”. We take great pride in the shoes that we sell, and we take great pride in creating the right atmosphere for our customers. We have a passion for what we do. Our customers are our greatest asset!

Advertising My Shoe Store

2007-01-30T17:10:00.000-05:00

The major issue I had surrounding advertising was: “To do or not to do advertising!” Well it was pretty obvious that I needed to do some type of advertising. The major question became, “what type of advertising would work best for a women’s shoe store?” I truly didn’t have any specific answer to this question, so I did a few things: I mailed postcards to potential customers, I did some radio ads, and I did cinema ads…all of which had lukewarm results thus far. As of date the best form of advertising has been “word of mouth” from satisfied customers. Word of mouth advertising seems to work best and oh by the way, -- it’s free!

I really became intrigued as to why the other forms of advertising have had such soft results, and in my opinion I think it’s an overload/ immune factor. Let’s take a look: As for my postcards, I took a look at how many postcards I received in a week from advertisers in my mail box -- I received so many…I lost count. As for the radio ads, the station ran so many other ads during the day that I believe my ads were lost in the mix. I've received only 1 phone inquiry so far. The cinema ad runs 7 days a week on 12 screens prior to the beginning of each movie. I’ve visited the cinemas on several occasions to observe people’s reaction to various cinema ads and I have concluded that people are just immune to the various ads unless it is a major brand that’s being advertised. So much for advertising as a small business owner! Any opinions?

Embarking on a new business.

2007-01-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

Six months ago I opened a women’s retail shoe store. I opened a women’s shoe store for several reasons. I wanted to offer my potential customers great quality, great brands, great service and a relaxing environment for them to purchase their footwear. To that end I have succeeded in accomplishing my goal.

I have always had a passion for being in business for myself and I absolutely wanted “out” of corporate America. So about 1 ½ years ago I decided seek out a business that I would love to have and one which I could call my own shots!

SUCCESS…my own women’s shoe store!

This blog is about the journey and day to day ups and downs.