Hello, and welcome to the Theory of Marketing Relativity podcast. I'm Jess Burton, a marketing specialist here at Epic Marketing Consultants Corporation. Let's talk all things marketing and merchandising with our Epic team. So joining me today on today's podcast is Jamie; she is the owner of Bomshell Boutique n while you guys have three ocations in Delaware and aryland. Jamie, welcome to our odcast.
Jaime:Thank you for having me.
Jess:I am super excited. I have a small I have dipped my toe in e-commerce and boutiques and the whole nine yards. And I know that it's not always as easy as you guys happen to make it look to do all of the e-commerce stuff.
Jaime:There's a lot of behind the scenes, correct?
Jess:Yeah, I, I know at least with the pandemic, a lot of people, a lot of boutiques have had to kind of I hate using the word pivot. Have had to shift how they sell to their customers. So one of the reasons we kind of wanted to chat with you guys is because you guys have a very robust online presence. So can you tell us a little bit about your boutique, how you guys came to be, and give us a little background?
Jaime:Absolutely. So I own the store here Bomshell Boutique ehoboth along with my business artner, Gina March. Gina opened er first location down in West cean City back in 2012. And here from there, you know, e've grown and opened this ocation, we're coming up on our hird summer here on Rehoboth venue. And opened this location hen we decided it was time Gina as ready to grow the business nd I was ready to make a change ersonally with what I was doing n my professional life. And so t was a perfect blend at the ime to open this location. You now, little did we know what as ahead in the year to come. o yeah, there's been a lot of hange a lot of growth, a lot of earning and a lot of shifting ears. We do, we do really well e have a we have a great ocation here in Rehoboth. So we o get a lot of business; owever, with the pandemic eedless to say, you know, last ear was was a new kind of hopping experience, I think for verybody. I think everybody had o turn to online shopping. And e did grow a lot by doing nline sales. And we have since ou know started to do you know lot more promoting on nstagram. And our Instagram age is Bombshell underscore ehoboth, if you want to follow s on our page here, and I you now, everything that we get in e post and it's available. If ou comment sold, we accept enmo, and we offer free hipping. And so that has been, ou know, a godsend for us to be ble to have that as an outlet or our brick and mortar store.
Jess:That is awesome. I think now at least like I have tried to shop more boutique, like local boutiques than I do like the big box stores anymore, because I love being able to like go in and talk and like the people know who you are. Plus, like the online shopping like I know, like there are stores around here that I've been like, Listen, I'm gonna buy this online, but I can't come pick it up until like, Saturday and nine times out of 10 the woman or whoever's on the other end is like, Oh, that's fine, we'll hold it for you. I think it's definitely been a huge shift for the local retail industry to kind of have to take everything from your brick and mortar stores, to online.
Jaime:Mm. hmm. And it's funny how you said that, you know, like you're paying more attention to shopping small. And I feel like that has been a huge shift, too. I think people are really understanding how important it is to shop local. Because, you know, our, our unique boutiques, you know, myself obviously here and then, you know, there's there's so many unique stores. And that's what makes, you know, a shopping experience more, you know, more fun than going to the big box store and it really, really does matter and you are giving back to the community and, you know, as somebody who's grown up and lived here. A lot of the girls who do come in and shop are, you know, and they make a point to say I'm shopping your store and it matters. And I'm so you know, grateful to be able to support to support local and so anyway so that has been huge for us and we really, really do appreciate our customers.
Jess:I think that is a big bonus of shopping small is that you do hear from especially I will say like I'm because of the pandemic I've noticed on Facebook, like a lot of a lot of owners are saying like we really do appreciate you like, it's that. I know like the meme or the sign or whatever it is has gone around a lot over the last like year but it says like every time you buy from a small boutique, an owner does a little happy dance because it is very much like, you know, you're helping you're literally helping your neighbor because they you're shopping with them.
Jaime:100% yes.
Jess:So I you guys have an eye like when Ann told me I was interviewing you, I was like, Oh, let me check out her stuff. Check out the Bomshell Boutique stuff. And you guys have a very, like I am just like, gobsmacked, like I don't have a good word for it; and how all encompassing you guys are with how you've embraced online shopping. So you have a website. You have Instagram shopping on your Instagram page as well as in your stories. You have Pinterest shopping, which surprised the living daylights out of me because I don't know very many boutiques that have capitalized on Pinterest shopping. It's like one of those like secret things that I tell people that I'm like if you own a boutique and you can do Pinterest shopping and you can do Instagram story shopping, you're like 10 steps ahead of everybody else. Um, anyway you also have an app. I was like looking through your website. I was like, Oh my gosh, they have an app.
Jaime:Yes, that's all Gina, so Gina like I said so she has the store in West Ocean City. And then just recently she opened a third location in Saulsbury, Maryland. And has you know, has definitely taken the online shopping she spearheaded all of these things. Yeah, by getting the app and by getting Pinterest shopping and but it you know, it really does matter and people want, they want cute, they want boutique, but they also want easy. You know, the easier it is because things are so immediate and there is such you know, instant gratification with being able to just add it to the cart and put it you know, and then ship it and it shows up at your door you know in three to five days. So the easier that you can make online shopping for your customers. You know it's a win win situation for everybody.
Jess:Absolutely. Especially for I always say I'm for like the boutique, I call it the boutique and beauty business. Instagram, shopping, and Instagram in general are like your big, I feel like that's where a lot of your big business is gonna come from. And then also you guys have a Facebook VIP group, which again is something which I'm like, Oh my gosh, someone actually does everything that they're supposed to do like I just I like you can and you can tell Gina that I am just like so impressed.
Jaime:Yes. Yeah, it's nice. You know, we get we get new merchandise in and sizes go fast. And so a lot of times we'll post first to our VIP group to give those customers kind of first dibs before it goes live either online or you know we put it in our store. So it, you know, so our customers are getting you know, VIP treatment.
Jess:Absolutely. Absolutely. I think especially for for your customers that like regularly shop with you. I know you guys are down at the beach which means I probably will actually go to your location sometime this summer because that's when I go to the beach. I live up in northern Delaware. But there are boutiques here that like there I am they have VIP groups and it is one of those things where it is a big bonus to be in a VIP group. So anybody who's listening, if you want to get in with the boutiques you'd like to shop at, if they have a VIP group, that's the place to be.
Jaime:Yeah. To join we'll let you in. You know and then that's again like you get first looks at things that we're getting, you know, into the store. And I also want to say that here at Bomshell Boutique Rehoboth, we o have a versus spray tan ooth, which is phenomenal. We ave quite a few appointments, eople coming in this afternoon, ut it's a sunless booth that t's completely private. It's eated it has two sprayers and ou can get in there and you now you're comfortable because ou're by yourself and so it prays you and then takes less han five minutes it dries you nd you can leave here, you now, walk out the door and ithin hours you have like a eautiful tan. Who doesn't love hat? You know, it makes you eel good. And you know verything, you look a little it better with a tan, you know, verybody can agree on that.
Jess:That is 100% something that I agree, like, as soon as it gets warm out, and the sun's out, I'm like, I'm gonna go spend an entire day in the sun because I just feel like everybody looks better.
Jaime:Oh, you feel so much better?
Jess:Yeah, the vitamin D, or your skin being like, you feeling like you're glowing. I don't know what it is, but I feel like you just feel better.
Jaime:Yeah, 100%.
Jess:Um, so I like obviously, with the past year we've had, I can't even believe it's been a year since this pandemic has started. How has, you know, COVID-19 affected your business?
Jaime:I mean, it's definitely last summer, we felt it hard. The I feel like everybody was trying to kind of wrap their head around this new normal that we were in. And I think it kept a lot of people, you know, from visiting our area. So we definitely had, you know, we, we were really, really pushing our online store last summer. More than, you know, more than ever.
Jess:The only other question was, what is kind of like, one or two things do you think that like retailers can do to stand out? Aside from like, having amazing customer service?
Jaime:I know. Yeah. I mean, I feel like what we're doing, like, we're, we're out there, we're marketing, you know, getting yourself out in different different venues. You know, we try to we've, you know, give back to the community, get to know your customers, really ake an interest in your, in our products and what you're elling and yeah, I mean, I, thi store is my, like, fifth child and, you know, there's like nothing more than then, lik walking in, in the morning. An I have such, like, pride with m store that I feel like it jus kind of it shows and it reall , like my store and our cu tomers and our products ma ter. And, you know, we try to ke p our price point, you know, at a rate that, you know, we're ve y aware of the economy and wh t's happening and you know, bu at the same time, like fe ling good, and a new outfit re lly does matter. And those so ts of things kind of play ou . And you know, and I feel li e that shows when you come in o Bombshell Boutiq
Jess:Awesome, I know I can I can hear it in your voice that like you like that you just love what you do, which I think is super, super important that everybody loves what they do. Just makes for a better experience for everyone.
Jaime:It does, it absolutely does, you know, coming to coming to the store and coming it doesn't feel like coming to work; it just it feels like you know, it's it really has been a gift to be able to have this store, in this location, and to have the customers that we do. It's a blessing.
Jess:Amazing. Before I let you go thank you for joining me and talking about online shopping and e-commerce.
Jaime:And real fast if anybody does want to, you know, reach out or schedule an appointment to do a versa tan or has any questions about the store, the best number is 302-745-2277. And our website is www dot bomshell outique com. And again, you c n follow us on Instagram and F cebook, Bomshell Rehoboth. An , yeah, we're here. We're op n. Right now, we're open six da s a week, closed Wednesdays. An then as we're getting more in o spring, we'll be open seven da s a week.
Jess:Thank you so much for joining us.
Jaime:Thank you for having me.
Jess:I definitely going to potentially do some serious shopping this weekend.
Jaime:Excellent.
Jess:And capitalize on the free shipping price point.
Jaime:And schedule a tan, schedule a spray tan.
Jess:I'm gonna need to get one of those. Thank you very much. Yeah, I hope we can chat again soon.
Jaime:Yeah, same. Thank you, Jess.
Jess:Thank you.
Jaime:Bye.
Jess:Bye. I thank you all for tuning in this week. We hope this theory is relative to your marketing needs. Make sure you subscribe to get notified of our latest episodes.