Learn how I extended my shop’s products range by unlocking US suppliers to generate higher revenue through better product selection. As a small shop owner, I quickly learned the importance of providing my clients with added selection. As the first boutique in my area, I enjoyed years of profitable business before competitors moved in. At first, I noticed a small drop in my sales as my market became more congested. One day I decided to check my competition out to see what all the fuss was about.
As I approached my competitor’s shop, I was surprised to recognize the majority of their inventory. As it turns out we were both shopping from the same local distributors and because of this, our shop’s inventories were practically the same. As I began to realize the gravity of my situation, I thought to myself about what an eye-opening experience this was. Here I was standing in a boutique less than 5 miles away from my own and they had all the same products I offered. To make matters worse I noticed a number of my customers making purchases. One of my favorite clients noticed this was making me uncomfortable and after seeing this she approached me to tell me she still liked my shop better but this boutique was much closer and today she didn’t have the time to make the trip to my side of town.
Making the change – switching to US suppliers
When I first open my boutique I had no idea how adding American clothing retailers to my shop would help me to increase my total revenue. Now I understand that depending on my local distributors will result in me being limited on my selection and leave me open to competitors. Even your favorite clients are going to be inclined to shop elsewhere if they can get the same products from a closer location.
I knew I had to make a change and make it fast. I decided to spend the rest of the month researching how to get the edge on my competition. Through my studies, I eventually stumbled upon ShipW. ShipW is a freight forwarding company that allows you to shop US retailers and ship your parcels to your area. The sign up was easy and took less than 10 minutes. Once I verified my account via email, I was given a ShipW mailing address. The way ShipW works is as follows.
The shipping process
Once you are completely registered with a new account and US shipping address you are ready to start placing orders. You can shop from any US retailer without worry and once your orders are placed, you simply wait for a notification that they have arrived at the ShipW location.
When all of the merchandise you ordered has arrived, you can send a notification to ShipW to forward the entire order over to your location. ShipW has given me access to US retailers and allowed me to take advantage of seasonal offerings and deals that would have been impossible to enjoy just a few months ago.
Taking back the clientele
I found it very lucrative to provide my customers with access to American retailers. This gave me the edge I needed to take back my clientele and regain my share of the marketplace. In less than 30 days I had regained my customer base back and I began to notice an increase in my overall sales for the month.
ShipW was more affordable than UPS and DHL and I found that the customer service was more intuitive to my needs and they even offered to help me with shipping containers and freight as my orders increase.
All of the products you order are guaranteed to arrive in pristine condition and if you notice issues with your product, you can send them back to be returned, so you never get stuck with damaged merchandise.
Final Thoughts
ShipW has taken my little boutique to the next level and now I am looking to expand to my second location. Ironically, I have even started to sell a lot of my orders to some of the other boutique owners in the area. I once saw them as competition and now they are a strong percentage of my revenue and because I am the one controlling the orders, I can always ensure that we don’t have duplicate merchandise. In the end adding US retailers to my boutique was the smart move to make and because of the little bit of research I did I was able to stumble upon ShipW and revolutionize my business process for the best.
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