Are you planning to start a bridal boutique or already own one and are looking to attract more customers? Then you need to know that the target market for a bridal boutique is not just the bride!
There are many other people who need wedding-related services, including mothers of the bride and groom, wedding planners, guests invited to a wedding, and more.
You may or may not be able to cater to all of these segments of the market and so you’ll need to be clear about who your market is and who isn’t. Your marketing strategies will need to be tailored to attract the right potential customers to your bridal boutique.
In this article, we’ll discuss the different parts of the target market for a bridal boutique and look at what’s important for them when they choose a bridal boutique for their shopping needs.
Who is the Target Market for a Bridal Boutique?
To best understand the target market for a bridal boutique we need to ask ourselves who needs the products or services that a bridal boutique has to offer.
Once we understand people’s needs and motivation for needing a bridal boutique we can begin the process of dividing the market into separate customer segments that we can study and eventually market independently of each other.
Such a needs-based segmentation process gives us the following segments of the target market for a bridal boutique:
- The BRIDE!
- The bride’s parents
- Parents of the groom
- Bridesmaids
- Wedding planners
- Guests invited to a wedding
- Wedding magazines and publications
Let’s take a close look at each of these.
#1 – The BRIDE!
There is no question that the bride-to-be is the primary target market for a bridal boutique. A bridal boutique offers products and services that are essential to the bride on her wedding day.
The typical products offered by a bridal boutique include:
- Wedding gowns
- Bridesmaid’s dresses
- Mother of the bride/groom dresses
- Veils and headpieces
- Shoes
- Undergarments
The typical services offered by a bridal boutique include:
- Wedding gown consulting
- Custom wedding dress design and creation
- Alterations
No bridal boutique can be successful without catering to the needs of the bride. The key to success is understanding what the bride wants and needs from a bridal boutique and then delivering on that promise.
#2 – The bride’s parents
Although the bride is the primary target market for a bridal boutique, her parents play an important role as well.
In many cases, it is the bride’s parents who are paying for the wedding and so they may have a say in where the bride shops for her dress and which dress she buys.
Additionally, the mother of the bride will also need to purchase a dress for the wedding and so she is also a target market for a bridal boutique.
When marketing to the parents of the bride, it is important to focus on the fact that they want what is best for their daughter and that you can offer them the perfect dress for her special day.
#3 – Parents of the groom
The parents of the groom are another target market for a bridal boutique.
While they may or may not be as involved in the wedding planning process as the bride’s parents, they will still need to purchase a wedding outfit.
When marketing to the parents of the groom, it is important to focus on the fact that you have a wide selection of wedding outfits for them to choose from.
What matters to them is that they buy the perfect outfit for their son’s big day.
#4 – Bridesmaids
Another target market for a bridal boutique includes bridesmaids.
In most cases, it is the bride who chooses the bridesmaids’ dresses but sometimes the bridesmaids may have a say in what they wear.
The bridesmaids are often the bride’s closest friends and so they have a big say in the decisions that the bride makes.
Sometimes, the bride may even ask her bridesmaids to help her choose her wedding dress. This makes the bridesmaids influencers in the wedding dress decision-making process and so be sure not to ignore them in your marketing efforts.
#5 – Wedding planners
Often, a bride will hire a wedding planner to help her with the wedding planning process. This makes the wedding planner another target market for a bridal boutique.
A big advantage of marketing to wedding planners is that they are often planning multiple weddings at the same time. This means that they have the potential to send multiple brides your way.
This can help you generate a lot of business and so it is definitely worth considering as part of your overall marketing strategy.
The key to marketing to wedding planners is to make it easy for them to do business with you.
This means having a convenient location, a wide selection of dresses, and a team of experts who can help the bride with whatever she needs.
#6 – Guests invited to a wedding
An oft-ignored target market for a bridal boutique includes the guests invited to a wedding. While they may not be directly involved in the wedding planning process, they will still need to purchase a wedding outfit.
But they have more choices than just bridal boutiques and you’ll need to make sure you attract them to your store instead of some boutique store or even a department store.
These guests can include close friends and family members of the bride and groom, who may need a special dress for the wedding.
To attract this market, you could also consider carrying gifts or other items that would be of interest to guests invited to a wedding.
This could include things like wedding favors, bridal party gifts, or even guest books.
#7 – Wedding magazines and publications
If you want to grow your bridal boutique and build a brand that is known and respected, then you need to get featured in wedding magazines and publications. This makes such magazines a target market for your business.
To get featured, you need to put together a strong pitch that showcases what makes your bridal boutique unique and why you would be a good fit for the magazine.
You also need to have a strong social media presence and an online gallery of your work that the magazine can link to.
If you can get featured in a popular wedding magazine or publication, it will do wonders for your business and help you attract more customers.
Conclusion
The target market for a bridal boutique naturally includes the bride as the most important customer. However, there are other target markets that should not be ignored, including the bride’s parents, the groom’s parents, bridesmaids, wedding planners, and guests invited to weddings.
An interesting market for bridal boutiques includes wedding magazines and publications. While these market segments will not purchase a dress from your store, they can help you generate a lot of exposure for your business.
And that exposure alone could be enough to attract new customers and help you grow your business. So, don’t forget to consider these target markets as part of your overall marketing strategy.
So, when it comes to marketing your bridal boutique, it’s important to think beyond just the bride. There are a number of other market segments that can help you generate exposure and grow your business.
