The NIU College of Business Business in Action course helps grow northern Illinois’ small businesses, like Roxy Carmichael Boutique in Rockford. Roxy Carmichael Boutique is an upscale clothing store for women. Since opening in 2007, it has established itself in the Rockford community as a fun and affordable place to shop for fashion. Current owner Christine LaMantia purchased the boutique in 2018.
Earlier this year, LaMantia engaged Business in Action students to help with four business challenges: Create a plan to retain customers during off-peak months; draft a community involvement plan to increase brand recognition and support community; analyze the budget and make recommendations to ensure sustainability and growth; and research and recommend social media livestream platforms to increase brand awareness.
NIU students visited the boutique to experience the brand and needs. “A few of the students came out to the store and measured our storage and determined how much square footage it cost to store some of our products, and which products would be the most cost-effective to keep stocking,” said LaMantia. “Students from the budget teams looked at how much space shoes and purses took up, looked at the sales numbers on those items and it was eye-opening. They take up a lot of space, and we found through that that there are better items to keep stocked given our storage capacity.”
Customer retention teams examined sales data to determine Roxy Carmichael’s off-peak months and develop methods to drive foot traffic into the store during those periods. Initially, LaMantia believed that Roxy Carmichael’s off-peak took place in the months of January, June and July. After examining the sales and foot traffic data month-by-month, the BIA retention teams came to a different conclusion: The periods of lowest foot traffic and sales were in January, February and August. “Initially, I was surprised about February being an off-peak month, but after I considered the teams’ findings, it made a lot of sense,” LaMantia added. After finding the new target off-peak months, the retention teams made a variety of suggestions to increase traffic, including a loyalty program that offered greater discounts for purchases made in January, February and August.
The community involvement teams offered a similar program concept: A “Shop Rockford Loyalty Card” that would encourage other local businesses to partner with Roxy Carmichael. The card concept has punch-card spaces, each representing a different Rockford-area small business. A consumer could obtain a punch card and, by purchasing products from each business, could earn a discount from one of the participating businesses. This program would increase cooperation among Rockford’s small business community while encouraging consumers to shop at stores new to them, increasing overall foot traffic and sales. Additionally, the teams suggested sponsoring events at Rockford’s schools, since educational involvement would offer positive community impact while helping Roxy Carmichael spread brand awareness to mothers, a key demographic for the company.
Lastly, social media teams found cost-effective platforms for Roxy Carmichael to advertise on. They suggested using YouTube and Facebook Live streaming platforms to show off new and on-sale stock, increasing online presence. The teams also provided example Instagram posts aimed at helping the boutique establish a consistent brand voice and image online. To help run these social media platforms, the teams suggested hiring a social media intern and offered the NIU College of Business IGNITE! Program as a potential opportunity for an affordable intern.
“It was incredible, the things the students came up with and the thoroughness of their research,” LaMantia said. “Their presentations just blew me away. I wanted to go implement all these suggestions. And to hire an intern for the social media platforms – that would be good for me because I would be able to learn a little more about how to run those pages from that person as well. The way the teams presented themselves was so professional and I was very impressed!”
The experience led to a positive impact for new NIU Business students like Brittany Sennes, a junior transfer student and business administration major from Oswego, Illinois. “From my experience working with Roxy Carmichael, I have developed team collaboration skills working with an incredible group of intelligent students,” she said. “I also feel like my critical thinking skills have strongly developed because I now think more outside the box. I like to learn in a team now and not just independently!”
If your organization needs external perspectives, extra research horsepower, unbiased recommendations and/or general business knowledge, engage our NIU Business in Action students. Email Business Consulting Director Jason Gorham for details at jgorham@niu.edu.
