Picture this: you have been invited to a friends wedding, birthday party or other significant event, or you have an event of your own. You go through your wardrobe and you realise you need to buy new clothing! Suddenly, you start scrolling through social media and going through store catalogues to see what best suits your needs. You are short on time, and between earning a living and balancing the never-ending task you have to do, you find yourself rushing at the last possible minute and end up with an attire you are not fully satisfied with.
The question is: what if you could delegate all this hassle to someone else and just wait to be dressed for the event? You just give your vision to someone, and they help you with the styling. You give your measurements, budget, and just sit and wait for your ultimate look to be delivered to you.
We asked a few people one key element for them when it comes to shopping, and a recurring answer was convenience. The modern-day shopper is looking for value, quality, uniqueness and, most importantly, ease of access to whatever they are after.
Why we will sell two taxi cars to buy a 2pc stake in Mr Lis upcoming mascara company From accountant to insurance salespersonWithout a doubt, technology has revolutionised this, with access to millions of products from any corner of the globe. However, despite all this, looking for these products and going through catalogues of endless retailers can be time-consuming and challenging. This is exactly where personal shoppers come in.
Whether it is a piece of clothing, electronics, home dcor, or any other product, these resourceful individuals will do the scratching and searching for you, and deliver the product as you asked, even custom- made products. And it does not end there, as you can also get a closely related group of those running errands, who will do anything from banking, general tasks, delivering parcels or mail, cakes, flowers, gifts, or any other service tailored to your needs. In short, they are businesses bridging the gap and removing the hassle of connecting you with products and services.
MyNetwork had a conversation with some of these individuals to shed light on their craft. How does one start? What sets a personal shopper apart from any other merchant? Is it a profitable gig? And is there a market gap for this after all? What of errand services? Is there a shilling to be made there? Among those we interviewed is a young man trying to create his brand; who identifies as an economist, personal shopper and stylist.
Diana Rose The Stylish Essence Looking back, Diana says the seed that birthed her business was planted back in her university days, where she was pursuing a degree in international relations and diplomacy. Having a nose for fashion, she would get requests from her friends to purchase for them clothing items and accessories whenever they would see her with something unique. So in 2016, she had the idea of starting an online thrift store.
However, due to challenges faced by many businesses in 2020, I had to rethink my strategy. I realised I had this huge stock of clothing that I was not selling, and if I needed to continue making a profit, I had to customise shopping for my clients, as well as add value, for instance through fashion tips. I started with making videos and advertising my services as a personal shopper, but I had a slow start.
She says because this was a new venture and she was yet to create confidence with possible clientele, it would take till June 2022 for her to secure her first client.
I was fortunate to get recommended to a client by a friend. The client, who happens to be a public figure, was looking for maternity clothing at the time. She wanted to make a bulk purchase. I was a little bit overwhelmed when she invited me to her place to make plans for the order, but I knew I had to be confident if I wanted my business to succeed.
Diana says one of the first things she did when she was setting up The Stylish Essence was to create a structured process and pricing model.
As a personal shopper, you need a proper understanding of your clients needs and style. So, the first thing I do is send a questionnaire to my client, just to get a basic understanding of what they are looking for. After this, I will create a mood board using Canva or Microsoft Word that I present to the client, whether meeting in person or virtually. Through this, the client is able to see a physical rep
