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Posted by Kirsten on October 30, 2014
One of the great things about having your own business is getting to know your customers. The best way to do this is to find out what they want. Then you have happy customers and more money in your pocket. A win/win! It requires a little leg-work and some research, but it really is the best way to keep your sales up.
It Varies!
There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to this. What sells great in Houston, Texas might not sell that well in Milford, Pennsylvania for example. Different designers and pop stars are trending in different areas. Weather and temperatures make people want different kinds of scents (we will touch into this a little more later). If you do not have a website and are selling locally, this will affect you a little more than someone who ships products outside of their own town. Don’t fret if you do not have a website, you are still a member of your community and perhaps have even more opportunities for closer bonds with your customers. Here are some helpful tips:
Location, Location, Location!
States that stay fairly warm year round will have different scent preferences than a cooler state. We like to wear different kinds of scents in the summer versus in the winter. Warmer temperatures tend to bring out lighter, more citrus scents while cooler temperatures tend to bring out heavier, more sultry scents. Have you ever tried to wear your favorite winter scent in the dead heat of summer? You’ll probably find it’s just a little too strong and doesn’t have the right kind of “mood” for the weather. Some helpful tips:
Stay Relevant!
It’s no secret that everyone likes something new, and the same goes for fragrances. We all have a favorite designer, singer or celebrity and when they come out with a new fragrance, we want it! There are also designers that we have all known for years and they tend to be “tried and true”. Often times it is the name that sells a fragrance rather than the actual scent. Tips and Ideas:
Aquolina
Beyonce
Burberry
Bond No. 9
Christian Audigier (Ed Hardy)
Christian Dior
Creed
Davidoff
Dolce Gabbana
Estee Lauder
Georgio Armani
Gucci
Hugo Boss
Issey Miyake
Jean Paul Gaultier
Juicy Couture
Kenzo
Liz Claiborne
Lancome
Marc Jacobs
Mariah Carey
Michael Kors
Narcisco Rodriguez
Nicki Minaj
Paco Rabanne
Prada
Ralph Lauren
Thierry Mugler
Tom Ford
Vera Wang
Victoria’s Secret
Yves Saint Laurent
Who is Buying?
One of the biggest things that can help you be successful here is to pay attention to the kind of customers you have. You can’t expect a 25 year old man to buy from you if you only have women’s fragrances. You won’t sell much to a 65 year old woman if you only have new fragrances that they have never heard of. What sells great to a young Spanish woman is not going to go as well with an older Caucasian woman and so on. So what can you do?
If you’re still with me!
After reading through this, you should have a better understanding and more ideas on where to start when it comes to carrying Body Oils. Some key advice to remember; It is always best to have a little bit of a fragrance everyone wants than too much of a fragrance no one wants. Order in small quantities at first while you are canvassing your customers and then order large quantities of YOUR top sellers. Once you start selling, it won’t take very long! Your customers will be asking you for various fragrances and it is important to listen to them.
While researching and gathering data for your customers please keep in mind: When a fragrance is released into stores, it takes several weeks to months for any manufacturer to reproduce it and get the formula correct. It is a costly investment to reproduce just one correctly, so sales in the stores are watched and requests are taken into careful consideration. This means that once it comes into stores, you won’t see it in Body Oil form for awhile. Just a little time, effort and patience goes a long way.