How to Start a Shoe Store
People need shoes. Starting a shoe store is a fun and rewarding way to own your own business and fill an always-growing need. To start a successful shoe store, it helps to have a passion for shoes, a demand in the community, and large financial backing. If you have these things, you are well on your way to being the owner of a profitable shoe store.
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Instructions
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Find a location from which to operate your store. Choose a location based on the type of shoes you want to sell and your targeted demographic. For example, if you wish to sell children's shoes, look for a location with a high residential percentage of families and/or elementary schools.
Once you find a few spaces you are interested in, figure out your daily operations and decide how much altering and/or additions are needed to the spaces to make them ideal. For a shoe store, you need a large, easily accessible space in the back for shelves of shoes. You also need a front or "showroom" space where customers can look at the shoe styles being offered.
Consider parking availability, safety, ease of finding and getting to your store, nearby businesses and cost before making a final decision.
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Decide what type of shoes you are going to sell. Do you want to focus on a niche market or do you want to offer a wide variety of shoes? Choosing what type of shoes you want to carry affects your choice of location, shoe distributors and marketing strategy.
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Choose reliable, quality shoe distributors. Pick a few brands of shoes you want to sell and research which distributors offer those brands. Meet with each distributor and decide which offers the best service. Ask distributors for references from non-competing locations. Sign binding legal contracts to ensure successful transactions.
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Hire trustworthy employees who project the image you want for your store. Look for employees who are responsible, mature and possess good customer service skills. Employees should either have previous shoe knowledge or be willing to learn. Customers expect shoe-store employees to be experts on shoes. If your employees know their products, it is much easier to sell them.
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Devise a solid marketing plan and budget. Much of the details of your marketing plan depend on the type of shoes you are going to sell, your location and your targeted demographic. Make sure you get your store's name and logo out there in multiple ways. The best marketing uses multiple forms of media (TV, radio, newspaper) and public-relations campaigns.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your product inventory small at first. Once your store has been in business for a while, you will have learned the needs of your customers and can adjust your product line accordingly.
The biggest financial burden most retail stores deal with is loss of goods through shoplifting. Have an loss-prevention plan in place.
References
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Comments
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Any fool can give you this much information; Don'w waste people's time you....
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how much do I start bussness with $$$$$.
