When buying a car you will likely make a decision on whether you are going to part with your money or not during the test drive. This is why so many car dealers make sure that they pull out all the stops during a test drive – and the same should be done by shop owners when their customers are ‘test driving’ their clothes in dressing rooms. While in a dressing room your customers will decide whether they are going to buy your products or not, so it is essential that you make the most out of them…

Dressing Room Space

If your shop is not particularly large then you may think that you can’t realistically offer dressing rooms for your customers, but this is often not the case. Generally, your customers only need a small amount of room to try on clothes, however certain items don’t even require this! For example, jumpers and coats can easily be tried on on the shop floor as long as there is a mirror available. In fact, some customers even prefer to quickly try something on on the shop floor as it saves them from queuing up for a dressing room, meaning that you could encourage sales. If you sell shoes in your shop you can also install mirrors onto the bottom of a wall so that customers can try before they buy!

Dressing Room Styles

Shopping for clothes is supposed to be a luxury, and there is nothing that ruins this more than a badly kept dressing room. Unfortunately, customers don’t tend to keep dressing rooms tidy which means that you will need to make sure a member of staff constantly checks that there are no hangers, items of clothing or general rubbish left in the rooms. If you can, you should also make sure that your dressing rooms are pleasurable to be in by installing flattering lighting, adding furniture so your customers can sit down, and providing multiple places for them to hang their clothes while trying them on. Remember, this is where they are testing out your items so make sure you make the whole experience as pleasurable as possible!

Security and Dressing Rooms

Unfortunately, some people try to take advantage of shops with dressing rooms as they feel they are an easy place for them to steal clothes or other items. This is why most shops have a limit on the amount of items each customer can take in with them at one time, as well as log the amount of items each customer has. Some stores also have a policy of not letting customers take accessories into dressing rooms as they can easily be slipped into pockets and handbags. If you are concerned about security in your dressing rooms make sure you invest in CCTV and detection systems at the front of your store. Even though they will not particularly add anything to your store front, they will save you from having to claim on your shop insurance!

Dressing Room Decorum

As with anywhere that people are changing, there is a certain amount of decorum when it comes to shop dressing rooms. For example, you may offer your customers the ability to ask you to get something in another size while they are trying items on, however when you return you should never open the door without first knocking and asking if they are decent. You should also make sure that members of the opposite sex don’t enter the dressing rooms without permission – even if a customer wants their partner’s opinion on a certain outfit! Finally, be polite and courteous to your customers at all times and they will not only be more likely to purchase their items but also visit your store again.

Even though dressing rooms may not seem like an important part of a store, the fact of the matter is that they encourage customers to purchase your goods. Make sure you put some effort in with your dressing rooms and you may be rewarded with increased sales!

Photo by WestportWiki / CC BY-SA 3.0