If you are a fan of Friends, you might remember Rachel working as a personal shopper at Bloomingdale’s. You may also remember, how she accidentally landed this job, but was able to capitalize on her personal passion into the career.
Today, some of the biggest clothing lines ranging from luxury chains, like Saks Fifth Avenue to upscale brands, like Macy’s, have personal shoppers on their payroll. And, if you are a shopaholic it’s a great time to pivot your career and shop for a living.
But, what does it take to channel your inner Rachel and turn a shopping talent into a paid job? We are here to break it down all that for you from the job description to salary, responsibilities, education, to help you do what you love to do the most. Read on to learn more.
Who Is a Personal Shopper?
Personal shoppers, as the name suggests, are experts who provide top-notch personalized customer service to individual shoppers to boost their buying experience.
A personal shopper is well aware of the recent trends and has the highest level of knowledge for different trending products and services. From the start, a personal shopper establishes a long-lasting relationship with their client base.
Plus, they also need to be a proactive communicator who also doubles up as a professional advisor. They not only provide expert advice but also play a pivotal role in customer retention.
What Is the Required Skillset?
Superior verbal communication skills are one of the most demanded skills for the personal shopper. This position also requires one to have great sales instincts, solid organizational abilities topped with excellent time management skills to succeed.
Additionally, one should be willing to put in some extra hours as it is a client-driven career where every customer must receive unparalleled attention. You would also need to know/learn basic computer skills to carry out a few other aspects of your work.
What Do You Need to Be a Personal Shopper?
A personal shopping career demands the highest level of professionalism with an authoritative, and a friendly demeanor on display. Ultra-professionalism, self-motivation, and goal-oriented spirit with attributes like patience, and flexibility, make you popular among your loyal customer base.
A personal shopper doesn't need to have a strong educational background. However, a short term career in the retail field is a big booster and makes you a more desirable candidate.
Key Responsibilities of a Personal Shopper
A personal shopper is responsible for building a loyal client base that makes frequent purchases. As a personal shopper, you would use different communication channels like e-mail, face-to-face appointments to build a shopping experience that is unique, and inspiring.
Your main goal is to drive sales and aim to set up a customer-centric experience. Moreover, personal shoppers are also constantly motivating shoppers to drive their enthusiasm and drive more customer store-visit along with frequent purchases.
Sales Responsibilities
As a personal shopper, you must cultivate relationships that help you strike in sweet-heart shopping deals with your loyal clientele base. You are also responsible to meet customers, suggest recommendations, and achieve the utmost customer satisfaction.
Plus, you should also be able to up-sell and suggest selling your customers given your in-depth knowledge of products, trends, and future offerings.
Crafting a World-Class Customer Experience
Shoppers enjoy personalized experiences. So, to be able to be the single point of customer service throughout would help establish a sense of trust. This would eventually help you as a personal shopper to dedicate quality time to every customer and make them feel special.
The Bottom Line
Be it a friendly demeanor or knowledge on different trends, not everyone is equipped to excel. So, if you are absolutely sure of your shopping talent, go for it and be a great personal shopper.
