This story appears in the
October 2004 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Q: I own a boutique, and our
products are mostly for women. I would like to attract more men
shopping for holiday gifts, but our shop is very
"frilly," and most men aren't comfortable coming into
the store. How can I market to attract more male shoppers,
especially during the December shopping season?
A: With the holiday shopping season
nearly here, now is the perfect time to reach out to those men who
will soon be searching for that perfect gift for the women on their
lists.
Assuming you have a mailing list of your female clients, send
out a mailing addressed to the "husband of" or
"significant other to" each woman on the list. If your
store is one that women love, chances are high that they'll
happily leave the card where their husbands will see it as a gentle
reminder of what they'd like to receive for the holidays. Make
the process even easier for men by allowing them to go online to
order a gift certificate: 1ShoppingCart.com is a Web site that allows for
online orders and features an auto-responder that acknowledges the
purchase and thanks the gift-giver.
You might even encourage your female clients to provide a
"wish list" of gifts in a variety of price points. If you
take the guesswork out of holiday shopping, men will join their
wives and girlfriends in becoming loyal customers of your
boutique.
is president of ImpressionImpact.com, a marketing consulting
company.