How to Market Ladies Accessories in America
Women love accessories. Handbags, jewelry, sunglasses, bracelets and other additions to an outfit give women the ability to express their own unique personalities. Accessories Magazine reported that retail sales for accessories were $30.7 billion in 2009. In the same report, NDP Group Chief Industry Analyst Marshall Cohen predicts a shift in the way women buy apparel due to economic instability and advises, "Retailers and manufacturers must make themselves and their products relevant--and exciting." Remain competitive by creating a marketing campaign that engages your prospects.
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Instructions
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Create a plan of action. Write down what you hope to accomplish, such as increasing awareness of your products or establishing your brand among local businesswomen. Make a list of what the women in your target market want the most, such as expressing their uniqueness, looking professional at work without being too flashy or looking fabulous for less. List the strengths of your staff and how you can use these strengths to your advantage.
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Hire beautiful models to serve as walking billboards. Restaurants use this model all the times with chicken costumes or hamburger costumes. Print T-shirts with your brand logo and website on them. Buy iron-on transfer paper to reduce the cost. Download your label to the software included in the package and iron the transfer paper onto blank T-shirts. Office supply stores like Staples and Office Max sell iron-on transfer paper.
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Give away accessories through a contest and through a retail partner. Send 50 to 100 gift packages to local retail stores that share the same values as your brand. Include a letter that explains that these packages can be used as free gifts to their customers as long as information is included as to where they can buy more. Create a contest for your target market. For example, for professionals, create an entry-form box and put it beside your register. Have your customers drop their business cards into the box to be entered to win free gifts.
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Provide valuable free information related to your products. Based on the list you made of what your customers care most about, create text, video and audio information for their consumption. Teach your customers how to accessorize for professional jobs, or how to still be beautiful and feminine in a manufacturing job.
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Orchestrate an in-store event or discount event. Marshall Cohen suggests, "Retail environments have to give way to means for consumers to touch, feel and try on merchandise." Invite your customers to an in-store makeover party and offer discounts for bulk or large purchases. Plan a mother-and-daughter lookalike event, or a girls' night out shopping spree, with discounts only available for that event. Create a fun event that your target will enjoy.
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Sponsor a girls' athletics program. Find youth programs and ask them how you can help sponsor their programs. They will list your business name in their literature as a sponsor. Athletic sponsors often get the opportunity to print their business name on the backs of athletic uniforms. Sponsor an independent female athlete who is training for the Olympics or another athletic competition if there is one you can find in your area.
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Send a press release that ties your store into local, national or seasonal events. Start with the local media by highlighting trends that you see happening in your store. For example, if you get a lot of requests for long necklaces during the summer to accent low-cut tops, or if you sell more sunglasses in the winter, let the press know of these emerging trends. Send out a press release for every event and contest you schedule to market your accessories.
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Keep in touch with customers by way of email, social networks and direct mail. Ask your customers to invite their girlfriends to shop at your store. Isha Suri of eWorld Trade Fair "Ask for referrals: You can start up with making a list of your loyal and regular clients and then ask them for any reference of relatives or friends of theirs."
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References
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- Photo Credit accessories image by Svetlana Kashkina from Fotolia.com
