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Katie runs OSO Boutique in Salisbury. She'd taken over a long-standing fashion boutique with loyal customers and a strong reputation. Business was good.
But she had questions that wouldn't go away: Should she expand to multiple locations? Was there a role for online? How could she use data to make better decisions instead of guessing? So, she entered the Retail Makeover Mission, and won, working with a panel of retail experts to figure it out. What they discovered wasn't about doing more, it was about getting clearer on what OSO actually was.
The Brand Problem No One Talks About
When the expert panel first visited OSO, they identified something many independent retailers struggle with the shop had great products and loyal customers, but no clearly articulated brand story.
Who is OSO? Who is the OSO customer? What is the world of this brand?
Without answers to those questions, every other decision, from window displays to which products to buy becomes guesswork. Visual merchandising expert Jon took Katie back to fundamentals by helping her build a brand deck. Not a complicated marketing document, but a simple toolkit that defines who the OSO customer is, what she wears, where she travels, what her home looks like, and which brands she loves.
For OSO, Morocco emerged as a key inspiration, capturing the warmth, texture, pattern and relaxed confidence Katie wanted the brand to represent. Once that was clear, everything else had a filter. Every display decision, every prop choice, every new product category could be measured against: does this fit the OSO world?
The Cash Desk Area Was Leaving Money on the Table
Inside the store, two critical spaces weren't working hard enough: the front table and the area around the cash desk.
The front table was transformed into a hero story, a tight colour edit of pinks, whites, on-trend crochet, paired with key denim styles and accessories. Everything pulled together to complete looks rather than showing isolated pieces.
But the bigger opportunity was at the cash desk.
Previously, the space near the till was filled with slower-selling sale footwear. The team reshaped it into a pick-and-mix accessories zone – hair accessories, smaller gifting items and fragrance. Within a day, the change showed results. One customer who came in for an outfit added a perfume purchase at the till after testing it there, a textbook example of well-placed add-on sales.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Stock Management
Behind the scenes, OSO had a data problem.
Products were priced manually with a traditional price gun. Staff wrote item names differently at the till. This made it almost impossible to track bestsellers, stock levels or trends properly.
Retail data specialist David Whitley's advice focused on standardising how products are recorded, moving to a barcode-based system, and cleaning existing transaction data.
It wasn't about losing the personal touch of independent retail, it's about freeing up time, reducing errors, and giving owners the clarity they need to make smart growth decisions. Because you can't confidently decide whether to open a second location or go online if you don't actually know what's selling.
Watch the episode: This brand-story section is taken from episode 1 of our Retail Makeover Mission. Watch below.
Buying at Spring Fair with Actual Strategy
By the time Katie attended Spring & Autumn Fair, her approach to buying had completely shifted. Her mission was clear: find fashion accessories to complement OSO's existing offer, source gifting ideas and "pickup pieces" for the front table and bring in colourful new ranges ahead of Christmas.
Working with boutique founder Deryanne Tad, Katie reviewed her data to understand which categories perform well and identified gaps she could fill, like new bag styles, keyrings and silk scarves.
They discussed practical buying considerations: shopping a trade show with a clear budget and product focus, asking suppliers about lead times so successful lines can be reordered quickly during the season, and negotiating trade discounts where appropriate.
Katie curated a selection of silk scarves, new bag styles in fresh colours, small accessories for add-on sales, and home and lifestyle products including diffusers and seasonal items.
All selected to fit OSO's new brand story and in-store experience. Not just things Katie liked, but things that made strategic sense.
Turning a Store Refresh into a PR Opportunity
After 14 years, OSO is ready for a full store revamp.
Working with PR consultant Sharon Good, Katie explored how to turn this makeover into a storytelling opportunity rather than just new paint and fixtures.
The approach: position the revamp as a "glow-up" that reflects OSO's refreshed brand story, highlight how the boutique focuses on confidence and creating a welcoming social space, and target local county magazines plus potential regional or national coverage.
The timeline was mapped out carefully, what to promote now (seasonal activity, Christmas plans) versus what to hold for the relaunch moment in the new year.
The goal isn't just a prettier store. It's a platform for press coverage, customer excitement and long-term brand awareness.
Watch the episode: This brand-story section is taken from episode 3 of our Retail Makeover Mission. Watch below.
Small Changes, Big Shifts
Katie's journey with OSO Boutique shows what happens when you get clear on who you are before you try to grow:
A vague brand becomes a defined identity. Windows that "work" become windows that sell. Manual processes become data-driven decisions. Buying on instinct becomes buying with strategy. A good shop becomes a shop with a growth plan.
None of these changes required a massive budget or complete overhaul. They required clarity first, then strategic action. And every step Katie took, from building the brand deck to reshaping the cash desk area to buying smarter at trade shows – is something other independent retailers can apply.
What's Stopping You?
Independent retail is challenging right now. Rising costs, shifting customer habits, digital-first shopping. But OSO's story proves that strategic changes create momentum.
The question isn't whether your shop is good enough. The question is: are you clear enough on who you are to make the right next move?
The Retail Makeover Mission is a video series supporting independent retailers with practical, tested strategies. Watch all episodes and access free resources here
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