30. 20 Years In Fashion Retailing With Margaret Strano
[spp-transcript]
Margaret Strano
20 Years In Fashion Retailing
Margaret Strano is the creator and owner of Avanti Collections Boutique. Her bricks-and-mortar store specialises in high quality womenswear and has been doing so for 20 years. Her children were teenagers when she began and in her preparation for them setting off into the real world, she positioned herself in a new role as a small business owner in the retail space. She followed her passion of appreciating well-formed and designed clothing to open her boutique and has never looked back. With a focus on adding value to her client’s experience she has developed a very loyal group of customers, she has seen her business survive through the economic ups and downs of her small city. In a world where many businesses don’t survive past five years, Margaret has stood the test of time with over 20 years of local customer insight and knowledge that she shares in this interview.
During my conversation with Margaret Strano she shares:
- What it takes to last in fashion retail
- How to provide what customers want
- How she selects stock for her clients
- The edge stores have over online retail fashion
- Why the customer’s perspective
- How she selects her staff to represent the brand
- Her communications methods to clients
- How she uses her customer list for marketing
- A direct mail campaign with outstanding results
- Her customer acquisition and retention strategies
- Some costly expenses when starting out; and
- The value in discovering your niche in the market
Margaret’s Example Of A Customer-Centric Business
- Malouf Pharmacy for their personalised correspondence
Selected Links For This Episode
- Avanti Collections
- Mela Purdie travel wear
“Make the customer feel comfortable. Gauge their personality to determine whether they need your help urgently or whether they need time and slowly win their confidence. Then you can help them”-Margaret Strano
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