A perfume boutique offers customers a unique shopping experience.
Opening a perfume boutique requires business acumen, a sense of adventure and a desire to make a profit from selling a luxurious retail item. While ancient cultures first used incense in religious worship, and the ancient Egyptians used perfumes as part of their burial rites, according to Mandy Aftel, author of "Essence and Alchemy." In modern times, the perfume boutique gives customers a way to interact with the fragrances, gain information about the fragrances' distinctive ingredients and make informed choices. Before you open your perfume boutique, learn about your potential customers and do market research to help ensure your business becomes a success.
Instructions
1. Write a detailed business plan. This road map serves as a tool to you and any potential investors on how you will develop, finance and market your business.
2. Break the business plan for your boutique into sections such as mission statement and goals, company history and development, financing strategies and future expansion plans. Highlight any experience you have with selling fragrance, and describe your passion for fragrance in your mission statement.
3. Scout locations for your boutique using a real estate agent familiar with the market. Look for areas that appeal to high-end consumers, as perfume is a luxury item. Boutique malls, storefronts in a thriving downtown area or open-air shopping plazas near high-end salons or designer stores make good choices.
4. Contact your local zoning and business services offices to determine if your location is appropriate for a perfume boutique. Request an application for a business license, if you do not currently hold one. Use a tax identification number unique to your perfume business rather than your own social security number.
5. Design your boutique's interior. Divide the boutique into men's and women's fragrance areas, featured gift items, unique perfume bottles and any other category of merchandise you plan to sell.
6. Contract to have your interior finished with a local, licensed tradesman. Supervise the process, while at the same time beginning your marketing and perfume sourcing endeavors.
7. Source perfume distributors and choose what perfume lines you will carry. Select a variety of fragrance lines, and offer your potential customers a choice of pricing options. Lower cost perfumes may help people who are new to purchasing perfume try new fragrances and come back for more expensive options later.
8. Establish a marketing plan for your boutique. Contact an advertising representative at your local newspaper for ad placement. Request that a reporter cover the opening of your perfume boutique. Network through the local Chamber of Commerce to spread the word about your new business venture.
9. Develop a web presence for your perfume boutique. Start a website, obtain a Twitter and Facebook account in your boutique's name and use your email list to announce the opening of your store.
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