Today’s blog gives hints and tips for our bridal stockists. If you are a bride, follow these links for blogs on veils, tiaras, jewellery and wedding belts.

Last week we started our series of blogs designed to help you, our stockists, to get ready for the new year with our tips on Shop Windows. Today we talk about making your shop look its best without breaking the bank.

Confetti & Lace Changing Area

There is no point promising the world at the pavement only to disappoint inside, so don’t forget to follow through with the rest of your shop. If you are on a budget, there are plenty of things you can do to make significant improvements without breaking the bank. Here are some ideas:

- Look with a critical eye, ask a family member or friend to give you an honest opinion of your shop. They will come in with fresh eyes and will be able to see things you don’t. Take their advice and act on it.

- Clean and tidy, and add a coat of paint. You will not notice your decor deteriorate over time, but your customers will.

- Wash your windows, sweep old leaves away from your doorstep and pick up any litter from the pavement outside. Add a coat of paint or wash your shop fascias and front door, make sure people can see your sign and understand what you can offer them from the other side of the street.

- Add effective lighting. Lighting is key to making your gowns and accessories stand out, so experiment with spotlights and lamps and open up the windows by removing any blinds or curtains to let daylight in. If you cannot afford new lighting, ensure your current lights have all got working light bulbs in, and that they are all a consistent colour.

- Clean your carpets or floors. Carpet can become dirty quickly, especially around high-traffic areas such as by the door. Clean your carpets with a special vacuum, or you can hire someone to do this for you quite cheaply. Add rugs to areas that are stained or worn, and the effect will be immediate! If you have hard flooring, make sure it is clean and polished, and add rugs to separate areas and create a cosy feel.

- Remove all stock that is out of date, damaged, or just hasn’t sold. This will instantly make the rest of your items look so much better. Similarly, if you or your assistants don’t love your product, you will struggle to sell it, so remove the pieces you aren’t keen on or that don’t complement each other. Remember to make your stock work for you and to choose quality over quantity.

- Use mirrors to make your shop seem more spacious. Put them in strategic places to reflect displays and natural light.

- Rearrange your shop to suit your brides and your selling process. You know how you sell to your brides, so make your shop layout works for you in leading a bride through the process. Have an area for the bride’s friends and family to sit and relax while she is in the fitting room, give them something to look at while they are waiting (e.g. bridesmaids dresses, brochures, or tiaras, jewellery and veils). Give the bride enough space to change into full gowns and to show them off to her friends and mum, adding a rug to act as a catwalk works well.

- If you are unsure if you have everything you need, pretend you are a bride and check that everything is where you would expect to find it and that the fitting rooms are comfortable and big enough with enough hooks and mirrors. Check there are mirrors in the right places on the shop floor when you are trying on gowns and accessories, and you must have one long mirror in which you can see your head and shoes in one glance.

Confetti & Lace gowns

- Look in the places you don’t normally look, for example look above eye level and check that everything is neat and clean and there aren’t any cobwebs lurking in corners. Be picky and look under displays and rails of gowns, in corners and behind chairs. Making sure each detail is perfect will mean the overall appearance of your shop will be vastly improved.

- Line all gowns and veils up neatly, all facing the same way on matching hangers to create a smart, uniform look. You don’t want your customer noticing the hangers, you want them to see the product, so keep them neat and simple.

- Mark your bestsellers and your favourite items with a small coloured ribbon. This means you will be able to identify them from a distance when you are speaking with brides.

- Make sure you and your assistants understand where all of your product is and how each of the pieces go together to create whole outfits. Return each piece back to where it belongs every night before closing, so that you will be able to find it again the next day. Being able to pull out the perfect tiara for a bride after listening to her requirements is an invaluable skill and shouldn’t be hindered by not being able to quickly find what you are looking for.

Do you have any tips to share? Leave them in the comments below!

Next time we will discuss how to ensure your tiaras and jewellery are in tip top condition and beautifully displayed for 2013.

All photos were taken at the Confetti & Lace shop opening

Today’s blog gives hints and tips for our bridal stockists. If you are a bride, follow these links for blogs on veils, tiaras, jewellery and wedding belts.

We are all familiar with the January rush, the time when brides come in to browse after their special Christmas proposal. It is so important to make sure your store is ready for brides on the first day of January. Brides may not make their purchase until later in the year, but they will be put off if their first impression of your shop is disappointing.

Over the next couple of blogs we will be sharing with you a few ideas and tips on how to prepare for next year’s brides. If you have any ideas to share, let us know in the comments at the bottom of this post.

Refresh your shop window display

Confetti & Lace Shop Window

Your shop window is the space through which the rest of the world sees you. Here are some tips to help you create a stunning shop window display:

- First of all, clean and tidy the space, and touch up any paintwork that is looking tired. Wash the windows, both inside and out, and remove any unnecessary or tatty window stickers or posters (after all, it’s your beautiful gowns and accessories you want your shoppers to see).

- Once you have a clean and fresh blank canvas you can start to dress it and create a story. You can work around a theme, or you can keep it simple and elegant, depending on your branding and the impression you want to create. For example, in January you could make a feature of your brand new collections, making it clear from the outside that you have new gowns and accessories for the new year. This may bring people in that have disregarded you in the past, and will help new brides to understand that your product is fashion-forward and unique.

- Using mannequins is essential if you have the space, as they add height to the display and show the shape and fit of your gowns. Ensure they are modern and clean and not damaged.

- Once you have your mannequins in place and dressed in your show stopping gowns, you can accessorise your display. Add a complementing veil to each window display to showcase them with the dresses and create a dream bridal look. People tend to walk past shop windows with their eyes down towards the pavement, so adding a few shoes and headpieces lower down will help to catch people’s eyes as they walk past.

Crystal Strands at the BBEH

- Use props to complement your display and create interest. For example, hang crystals or petals from the ceiling on invisible thread, add flowers or confetti on the floor. Lamps and chandeliers can give depth and ambiance. Think outside the box and tell a story with your shop window – you want your brides to buy into the whole feel of a wedding, not just one dress, or one pair of shoes!

- Take down your Christmas display either just before Christmas day or straight after. Put up your new display as soon as you can, as brides will start planning their wedding straight after Christmas, and you don’t want to be left behind.

- Start planning your next shop window display once you have finished the current one. This should help you to keep the ideas flowing, and things looking fresh. Brides often browse for a few months before making a purchase, so it is good for them to see that you have new stock in and are keeping on trend.

If you would like to borrow some striking pieces for your window display on a sale or return basis just let us know and we will be happy to help.

Come back next week for tips on how to refresh the inside of your store on a budget!