The profession of a shopping assistant is a way to turn your passionate love for stores, shopping, searching for new clothes, and profitable purchases into a profitable profession. Usually, this service is additionally provided by fashion stylists, but you can also make it your core business.
Shopping Assistant: Who is it and what does it do?
A shopping assistant is a specialist who accompanies a client during shopping, selects looks for them within the framework of their style, and gives professional recommendations on image and wardrobe updates.
Shopping Assistant:
selects a list of stores and brands that meet the client’s needs in terms of style and cost of clothing;
accompanies the client in shopping centers during shopping;
selects clothes in stores, taking into account the client’s capabilities and needs;
During the fitting, collect ready-made images of the client and advise on their combination.
The Shopping Assistant works not only during the actual shopping. It also does the preparation – analyzes the person’s appearance type and finds out the style tasks that are relevant to him, makes a list of the necessary things and their cost since it is often necessary to fit into a certain budget. And plans the shopping route, choosing the stores and boutiques necessary for the goals.
Where to start: three pillars on the path to success
Learn a profession
It may seem that personal shopping consultations are just a trip to the store. But this work requires special knowledge and skills: from knowledge of styles and body types to the ability to interview and give feedback to clients. For example, if you need to prove to a client that the item they have chosen does not suit them at all, or find out whether the person likes the clothes or is simply uncomfortable refusing. To succeed in the industry, it is important to get a good theoretical basis. This will help you find new tools for work and develop your vision and professionalism.
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Start with the environment
Hone your skills by helping your friends choose their seasonal wardrobe. You can do this during your studies – you will have practice and first examples of created looks. This way, you will start building up your portfolio, experience, and potential client base already at the start of your professional career.
Create a personal brand
Be open, and people will come to you! Create working accounts on popular visual platforms: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube — tell people how you can help them find their image and save their time. Post examples of the images you have created, and share tips and life hacks.
According to experienced shopping assistants, in the first two years of activity, you need to actively engage in PR, look for clients, and earn a reputation as a professional. Therefore, successful specialists advise keeping a personal blog, attending and holding lectures and master classes, and creating your own audience.
Ways to earn money as a shopping assistant: expand your horizons
So, the first steps have been taken. How to achieve a stable income and increase it? The main path to advancement in this industry is the accumulation of experience, knowledge, and reputation. As freelancers, it is important for shopping assistants to constantly be on the lookout for new opportunities. That is why we provide several options on how to sell your services more effectively and increase your income.
Be proactive and protect YOUR audience
Be proactive and independently search for clients for personal consultations. To do this, understand who exactly you are interested in as a client, and promote your brand to them using advertising and PR. You can study advertising methods yourself and not spend money on a herpetologist. For example, during the training of the Fashion Stylist profession at the Primeclass online university, students study in the Monetization Laboratory, where they master the tools for launching advertising and promotion. Anyone can learn this. The main thing is to declare yourself in different sources where your potential audience is. Offer personal consultations, offer test images, and look for ways to collaborate.
Consult online
Many shopping assistants prefer only personal consultations in shopping centers. This way, you can more clearly determine the type of a person’s appearance and find an approach to him. This, taking into account the road, the shopping process itself, and preparation, takes from 4 to 8 hours per client. In addition, given modern realities and quarantine restrictions, online consultations and online shopping are becoming increasingly popular. Now any brand can be ordered online, and your client base may not be limited to the city and country of residence.
Create collaborations with brands and businesses
Collaborate with your favorite brands and beauty salons. Tell your employees about yourself and your services and offer mutually beneficial activities: for example, choosing an image for an event – you will provide a dress, and the salon will provide hair and makeup. Or – creating images for photo shoots. You can also work with wedding salons, design display cases for clothing stores, and choose images for TV presenters. Thanks to mutual advertising, both you and the brand will expand your audience and acquire new clients.
Build long-term relationships with clients
Case. A successful real estate agent has absolutely no time to go shopping several times a season. That’s why a stylist suggested a solution – a shopping tour 2-3 times a year. Together with the stylist, they fly to one of the fashion capitals of the world for a few days and choose looks for 2 seasons at once. The client has been using this service for several years now, and also constantly recommends it to his business friends.
A successful stylist knows how to communicate and maintain good relationships with any client. If a client is satisfied with your work, ask them to tell their friends and acquaintances about you. Usually, if you have provided a quality service, many will be happy to fulfill your request. This will help bring in additional clients. Your income will increase as a result.
Try yourself in related specialties
Expand your professional horizons and consider other specialties that a shopping assistant can do. Try to become a full-fledged stylist, also working with wardrobe analysis and regular consultations on creating a style. You can also work in the theater and film industry – as a costume designer. There are many areas where you always need to dress people and monitor their appearance. This can become a source of additional income.
Always keep learning
Fashion trends are constantly changing, as are the techniques of a shopping master. Much has already become a thing of the past. Today, people travel, change styles, and are ready to experiment. It may seem that to work with clients, it is not necessary to know the history of fashion houses, the names of designers, and the styles of the most fashionable models of the 20s of the last century. And images can easily be put together from brands presented in shopping centers. But the higher the level of your knowledge, the deeper you will learn to understand and analyze what is happening in the world of fashion. And one day you will be able to apply for cooperation with world fashion houses.
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Income of a shopping assistant
Be prepared for the fact that the profession of a shopping assistant is seasonal. From September to December and from March to May, there is usually a large flow of customers. But January and August, according to experts, are often characterized by a small number of people wishing to update their wardrobe.
As for the salary, it is a well-paid profession in the modern market. It all depends on the complexity of the tasks, the amount of time spent, and the client base. On average, prices for services vary from $50 to $250 per hour. The more experienced the shopping assistant, the higher his fee. In Milan, for comparison, the specialist’s fee
Where to study to become a shopping assistant
You can learn the art of shopping on special educational platforms or in style schools. European fashion schools are considered the best in this area. However, it is not necessary to go abroad to master the basics of the profession. In-depth training programs can be completed online. By studying the Fashion Stylist Profession program, you will receive all the necessary theoretical and practical skills to implement your favorite business.
The program’s experts are only practitioners: designers, stylists, bloggers, and managers from the fashion world. The training program includes theoretical and practical classes. In addition, during the training process, you will find your first clients.
Our Fashion Stylist Profession training program provides the following skills:
personal work with different types and proportions of figures;
working with color and composition;
working with fashion brands;
sorting out the old and creating a new wardrobe;
image development;
analysis of fashion trends;
shopping assistant and media stylist;
organizing photo shoots.
Abstract of the article
A shopping assistant accompanies the buyer during shopping trips, selects looks, and gives professional recommendations on image and wardrobe updates.
Shopping assistant duties: selects a list of stores and brands that meet the client’s needs in terms of style and cost of clothing; accompanies the client in shopping centers during shopping; selects clothing in stores, taking into account the client’s capabilities and needs; during fitting, collects ready-made images on the client and advises on their combination.
Where to start for a beginner. Learn a profession: this will help you find new tools for work and develop your vision and professionalism. First, help your friends choose a seasonal wardrobe. Start building a portfolio, experience, and a database of potential clients. Create a personal brand and maintain accounts on popular social media platforms. Tell people how you can help them acquire an image and save their time.
How to sell your services. Find clients for personal consultations using social media advertising. Provide online consultations: this is in demand in today’s reality. Collaborate with your favorite brands and businesses, and do mutual advertising. Build long-term relationships with clients. Try yourself in related specialties, for example, work as a stylist with fashion magazines, in online stores, or at photo shoots.
How much does a shopping assistant earn? Income depends on the complexity of the tasks, the amount of time spent, and the client base. On average, prices for services range from $50 to $250 per hour. The more experienced the stylist, the higher their fee.
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