Why is our plus sized clothing store business not going well?

Question

My mother and I started a plus size womens clothing store in a small to medium sized town in Kansas. Its on Main st where lots of other retail businesses are. And tho we cater the clothes to plus size women we carry name brand purses, nice jewelry and scarfs and hats and gloves. And we carry sandals in the summer! lots of things other than plus size clothes. we thought it was a great idea because the only place in our town where you can buy plus size is walmart! Our prices are moderate, we dont even mark things up to there retail value! The first year was ok(it kept the bills paid) the second not so hot! and now we are dreading starting the third year! Please help this is my mothers life long dream! i dont want it to fail!

We spend around 25% of our monthly income on adverising..we advertise with three newspapers...two radio stations and send out newsletters! and its still not bringing in the customers!

Our target age group is 18-60 we carry every thing for every women thats why my mother and i started the business together...im 20 and shes 42 so we get a wide range of style difference from out age! And i dont think our clothes are frumpy i think we sell very nice things and we are small town so we wouldnt sell a thing that we wouldnt wear ourselves or that is damaged! Our customers that do come in are always saying what a great store we have and we have so many cute things but yet they dont buy!

LOL no way would be carry moo moos....or granny hand bags!

Answer 1

Hi,
I have owned and operated a coffee shop for nearly eight years in a small city consisting of approximately 13,000 people, I will just share with you some of my advertising/marketing experiences. First of all, it sounds like you are in a great location amoung other retail businesses. How is the parking situation? Is it convenient? Are there parking meters? Believe it or not this sometimes plays a role in a customer's decision to stop in. If it's not convenient, it can cost you customers. If this is the case, the next time you advertise mention that you will compensate parking meter charges if they buy anything in the store (just take it off the sales bill). This generally costs you only 25 cents. Also, it sounds like you are advertising a lot between newspapers and radio stations. Try advertising in completely different publications for a couple months to see how it goes. When a business advertises over and over in the same newspaper, it becomes invisable to regular readers because they get so used to seeing it. You may have reached all of the readers and listeners that you can in those papers and stations. If you have any local colleges/Universities I suggest their campus newspaper and campus radio station, if they have one...but I'm not really sure that radio station advertising is beneficial considering the cost involved (just my experience though). Campus papers are usually much more inexpensive to advertise in compared to city papers. In addition, not that I mean to bring any religion into it...church bullitins/newsletters usually also offer inexpensive advertising and a lot of people go to church and read those bullitens. Two methods of advertising that I have found to be the most important are; your store's exterior sign. Can people see it? Can you add a sidewalk sign if you don't already have one? This is most beneficial for your potential pedestrian customers. Does your signage tell people what it is that you sell? Can people tell what kind of business you have inside by looking at the outside? It's important that they can. This is more important than any newspaper or radio station advertising that you could ever do! Secondly, if you're not already a member of your local Chamber of Commerce I suggest that you join. Most Chambers are great places to meet other business people and get the word out about your business. It really works. Plus they often promote your business in their guides and on their websites. Lastly, a really good way to find out how your advertising dollars are working for you is by asking each of your customers (new and existing) how they first heard about your business. This will really give you an idea about what is working in regards to your advertising. One more thing that I would like to add it that most municipalities do not allow you to put flyers on car windshields...so check with your local police station before you do that. I personally think that windshield flyers tend to irritate people..but again...just my opinion. It might work for you. One more thing...you might consider adding some non plus sized clothing to your inventory if possible because sometimes women...whether it be mother and daughter, best friends, sisters or whoever...women generally enjoy shopping with other women yet both may not be in the plus sizes. It might increase your customer base. Good luck!

Answer 2

What kind of feedback are you getting from your current customers? How do you advertise/market? What percentage of the population in the area wears a plus size? Tons of questions immediately spring to mind.

I live in a small town and occasionally shop in a medium sized town. However, I prefer to shop in a city usually just because I can find things that I'm pretty sure I won't see someone else wearing.

One of the big things in plus size clothing, what age group are you targeting? So many plus size items tend toward the matronly, frumpy. Once I find a store (even tho I'm older), that carries a lot of these items, I tend to avoid it.

Answer 3

I would advertise by making flyer's and putting them on car windhsields (at Wal-Mart to start), perhaps your potential customers don't feel that your merchandise will fit their budget so you have to highlight the fact that you carry quality merchandise at an affordable price. In your advertisement, list some of the brands that you carry, this will entice customers to come in and take a look. Plus size women want to look stylish and up to date so, if your store showcases moo moos and grandma styled handbags you should re evaluate who you are targeting to shop in your store. I guaranttee you that if you cater more to the 18 to 35 age range, word of mouth will spread quickly and you will build a loyal customer base. If you hang items in your store window, make sure that they are outfits that will draw people into your business. Good luck with the business.

Answer 4

I wish there was a store like that where i live!!! The best advice i can give is ADVERTISE!!! Sometimes people just might not realize your store is there!! Put a large ad in the newspaper....anything to get your name out there.I believe there is a huge need for plus sized stores!!!!! Good luck!

Answer 5

Pennington's 14+ and in the malls they have a lot of stores that have a store and a 14+ .. what I don't understand is why they don't just put it all in the same one.

Answer 6

Advertise, advertise, advertise! If people don't know you're there they can;t shop with you!

Answer 7

if it's your mothers dream---why are you doing it???do you resent the job???are you secretly sabotaging it__unintentionally???---