Indeed, boutiques are very popular places for designer clothes and accessories. Even with the amazing success of Amazon and the advent of online shopping, independent fashion boutiques are still growing and maintaining multi-million-dollar companies, and also doing it with e-commerce and not more than three physical locations across the nation.
According to reports, boutiques emerged all over Paris, London, and New York in the 1960s, though some stores were seen as early as the 1920s in Paris. These stores were popular with the youth, as they were renowned as a place to hang out and view new fashion. Many also see them as a store between haute couture houses and department stores.
As these places became more popular, they also became a remarkable sector in the fashion world. These stores boast of numerous characteristics that set them apart from their counterparts. The first is size, and the second is inventory. A good number of them are small privately-owned shops that provide upscale, specialized products, such as clothes, jewelry, and shoes.
Since they are known to be quite small, boutiques will always have to consider the exact products they intend to offer customers in their limited space.
Most times, boutiques carry and sell these goods at very exorbitant prices because they are so unique and align with a niche market. Another major difference is that boutiques exist to offer a more enticing, personal experience to customers.
According to industry reports, the market size, measured by revenue of the boutique industry was $18.4bn in 2021. The major negative factor restricting this industry is low barriers to entry, while the major positive factor is the percentage of business conducted online. The market size of the Boutiques industry is expected to increase 1.6% in 2021.
Reasons Why Boutique Clothes are So Expensive
Clothing boutiques make money from selling clothing and other goods. Their business concept involves sourcing clothes and accessories as cheaply as possible and then marking the price up a certain amount to create their profit margin.
They are known to be on the pricey side, making it difficult for every shopper to find something in their price range. Nonetheless, here are the main reasons why their clothes are so expensive.
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Personalized Customer Experience
Just like it was stated above, boutiques are genuinely considered a specialized type of retail store that fits a niche market with well-defined products and more personal customer service. Boutiques fill a need online shopping platforms don’t.
According to experts, there’s a difference between buying and shopping, and online shopping platforms do not address the shopping experience. In this age, Consumers want a more personalized experience, online and off. Boutique prices are quite expensive because they’re more than just stores: They’re style educators.
A good number of customers barely have the time or know-how to style themselves. Fashion is variable, and they’re scared to try a new trend — until boutiques show them how. In boutiques, customers don’t just buy their product or service — they buy the experience.
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They Carry High-Priced Designer Products
Most boutiques source their clothing and accessories from high-priced designer brands. Aside from production and distribution costs, these brands also have to pay for warehousing, staffing costs, rent of lavish headquarters and shops. They also spend millions on fashion shows, celebrity and social media endorsements, photographers, models, and ad placement in all the right magazines.
To cover their production costs and make a profit, these brands will definitely sell their products for at least double of what they paid the factory to make it. Boutiques, on the other hand, will also have to consider their profit margins.
Owing to that, when the item hits the boutique floor, the item will more or less have a markup of at least twice what the boutique paid the brand. When put into consideration, that’s at least four times what the designer paid the factory initially.
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Unique Selection In Clothing, Accessories, Gifts And More
Unlike retail stores that buy mass productions, boutiques have a specific and smaller target audience, only selling merchandise for specific gender and a small age range. They often source their merchandise and inventory from smaller and local companies you won’t see in department stores.
Coupled with being notable supporters of these small and local companies, boutiques also offer a fantastic shopping experience since the shop will be filled with completely new products and clothing. Since a good number of us shop at department stores, it isn’t foreign to see 5 different people wearing the same t-shirt on the same day.
However, that is not the same with boutiques, because their products are unique and tend to fit with a niche market. Boutiques also have a smaller selection in sizes therefore it can be very challenging to find clothing since they only carry a certain amount of that particular item while department stores have dozens of each size.
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Customers Pay for Comfort and Luxury
When shopping at boutiques, customers also pay for the comfort and luxuries of the store. Boutiques are renowned to put a lot of effort into their shop’s interior design which customers are known to appreciate. Their aesthetic is much more pleasing than most department stores because they have beautiful pictures, pretty colors, and more. No fluorescent lights, no endless racks of clothing, and no walls of white with nothing on them.
Conclusion
Unlike boutiques, normal stores can range in size, products, and location. They can be owned by major corporations, and they can sell their massive range of products for much cheaper since they are also bought mass production. These retail stores are also a lot more informal and tend to serve as quick ways to pick up products and go.
Meanwhile, boutiques are known for excellent customer service. They give you one-on-one attention and all the helpful service you could ask for, coupled with other reasons noted above, that is why their prices can be quite high when compared to retail and departmental stores.