maria102 started this topic @ 14:30 on 25/10/2005
For the few month or so, I have seriously been considering setting up my own business (evening dress hire), so as part of my business plan, I started my research, namely to visit potential competitors, see how they were doing things etc. However, the first place that I visited said that they no longer hired out dresses as they found it too much hassle! They wouldn’t go into detail, just that they were now selling off the dresses! They said there wasn’t anyone in that neck of the woods in that business that they were aware of and that they were sorry they couldn’t help me (obviously they had presumed that I was a customer).. So off I went to the next place on my list to find out that they now sold school uniforms!!
As a result of this rather than thinking that there is a gap in the market, I feel maybe there is no market?! Any suggestions regarding further market research or information would be gratefully appreciated, as this has left me rather deflated….
RE: No Market or a Gap in the Market?!!
lewiscoke | 25/10/2005 04:29 PM
I wouldnt be discouraged by the research you have done so far; but see it as a possible opportunity.
Try asking the customers what they want; if there is demand from the customers, then there is business to be had. Find out exactly what they want; if other shops arent doing well, maybe they arent catering exactly to what the customers want, or for the right price, or location etc etc.
Well done on making a start, for most people a business idea remains just that, an idea.
Regards,
Louis
RE: No Market or a Gap in the Market?!!
maria102 | 25/10/2005 06:44 PM
Thanks for the responses - It never occurred to me to use a forum earlier, rather than chewing even more on my boyfriend's well-chewed ear! My idea was to bring dress hire into the noughties! rather than all the websites that I have seen etc, that seem to be, well...in the 80's! My thinking was, that when I had shelled rather a lot out for a dress for an occasion (it was an evening do of a wedding) that I didnt really get my wear out of it, as most of our friends had seen it, it was kinda once seen, never forgotten - I thought there must be other people with tons of 'worn once' dress in their wardrobes and maybe they would hire one for a quarter or so of the price. It was a newish concept really, not formal wear as such - just sort of 'special do' wear. I definitely need to do more research, I may be uniquely vain or something with my way of thinking about outfits....I did ask a few of the girls in the office, and they thought it was a good idea, but I suppose the proof would be in the pudding if they actually went through with hiring one?
