‹ Blog Home

Customer Service Advice From Top Rated Boutiques

Whether your fashion business is still at its ‘out-of-a-bedroom’ beginnings, or is fast becoming a ‘we need a warehouse’ wonder, customer service is a key cornerstone to building your brand and protecting your reputation.


Our Marketplace selling community have always been vocal about the steps they take to ensure great customer service, so we’ve rounded up a number of sellers with impeccable feedback ratings who have kindly agreed to dish their advice on the various forms that online customer service takes – from the basics, to handling tricky situations, through to those extra personal touches that help build amazing service directly into your brand.

The Basics
Great customer service really starts before a sale. Making sure that your product titles, descriptions and images are accurate and detailed is the best way to get off to the right start. Making sure your ‘about us’ section is friendly and tells the story of your brand is a great way to kick off buyer-seller messaging and set the tone for easy communication with your boutique.

The customer is always right – dealing with tricky situations and returns.
'The customer is always right' is a phrase that goes back eons, but it's become more important than ever with online reputations to protect. Take a read of how some of our boutiques handle returns and tricky situations.

“I'm a fan of returned items! Guarding against returns isn't always as simple as providing exact measurements; items can be returned simply because they don't 'suit' the customer. I don't think sellers should get too hung up on returned items, or take them personally. If the return process is seamless, convenient for the customer and dealt with in a pleasant manner it can actually work positively for your brand. Some of my best feedback has come as a result of a happy return” – Jarvis and Janis

“We stand by the principle that the customer is always right, because it is the customer who makes us a success. An unhappy customer can easily damage your reputation on an online platform – resulting in an unhappy business.” – Mint Vintage

"We always approach any interaction with customers with this in mind. We appreciate anyone who shows an interest in our store and want to show that we acknowledge and value any feedback our customers or potential customers have to offer."  -  Black Tied

“We try our hardest to stand by this, we hope to resolve any issue at all without any animosity, keep constant contact with the seller and be as helpful as possible to any queries.”  - Coco Boo Loves

"99 times out of a 100 if you give the customer the benefit of the doubt they will appreciate you going out of your way to help them, even if it seems they are being a bit tricky. You should always remember that they have chosen your product over and above a lot of others so you should reward them for their custom" - Collect London

“Keep a cool head with tricky customers, it can be quite easy to turn a bad situation into a good one. It will really help you out in the long run. Good deeds get good feedback” - Miss Lawes Adores

Shipping times
Schlepping to the post office is not always top of everyone's list of fun things to do, but providing a speedy shipping service is essential in keeping your customers happy.

“We all know how frustrating it can be waiting around for an online order and not knowing where it is. By always keeping your customer updated on the order process and providing them with tracking details this will ease the wait and create excitement” – Mint Vintage

“I ship within 24 hours without fail- you buy something new & lovely, you want it NOW and I get so excited for my customers to receive their new stuff. I work to the standards I would expect” - Vintage Magpies

“Jarvis & Janis is my business. Therefore I make it my business to ship orders as soon as possible when I receive them. This always works in my favour because a) If I act early, I can take advantage of second class postage, reducing the cost to the customer, and b) I get good feedback for speedy shipping” - Jarvis & Janis

“We’re all about instant gratification, which is why waiting for an online order can be torture! To ensure your customers come to you again rather than going to a store where they can walk out with their product, you’d better get it sent out pretty sharpish” - Bardot in Blue

"As we are still operating on a small scale, we can afford to designate plenty of time to packaging and shipping our orders as quickly as possible. We aim to dispatch every order that same day or the very next morning. As we grow, we want to keep this a priority and to ensure that our customers know that they can always rely on a quick turnaround." - Black Tied

“We try and post most items sold the day before the following morning, we currently use royal mail and with running the shops its hard at times to get to the post office and when we do its usually packed, but if we feel there may be a delay we contact the buyer. We keep them in the loop in most instances regarding the sale.”  - Coco Boo Loves

Professional communication with customers
"From our experience, maintaining a professional attitude makes all interaction much easier for the customer, but also for us. Once a customer can see that we have their interests in mind and are willing to do everything in our power to help, there is no longer any reason for them to worry. As all of our customers are used to dealing with excellent customer service from large retailers, we believe that they should not have to change these expectations when dealing with small businesses and independent designers like us. We pride ourselves on the fact that we offer prompt and professional service that is in line with any other retailer." - Black Tied

“Online, being professional in your communication with customers is even more important than in store as the bond of trust needs to be established without face to face communication” – Mint Vintage

“Professional communication for me isn't about adopting a business-like tone of voice or dialogue. It is about responding quickly when an order has been placed or when a question has been asked, enclosing communication with the order itself and following up with a customer who has requested a refund. As my business is run entirely online, frequent and friendly communication has to make up for there not being a physical face at the point of purchase. I think that's why customers so appreciate the handwritten notes I send with their orders” – Jarvis and Janis

“Professionalism doesn’t mean you can’t have your own ‘tone of voice’. You are in retail, you’re not a bank, and it can have personality. In fact, the more personal the service, the happier the customer because fashion IS personal. Keep them updated every step of the way, always be polite, friendly, informative, thorough and always make the best of every situation” - Bardot in Blue

Personalising orders & going the extra mile
“Adding that little extra when packaging your orders is of immense importance – we have loads of positive feedback from people loving our lush packaging” – Mint Vintage

"Whenever I package up an order, I think of it as giving a gift to one of my best mates. I take a lot of pride in wrapping the order in tissue paper, popping it in a funky pink polybag and enclosing a handmade, handwritten card, occasionally with a free gift too. I also like to involve customers in seasonal charity projects, for example, donating £1 from their order to the Bat Conservation Trust (for Halloween) or Little Hen Rescue (Easter)” - Jarvis & Janis

“This is what sets you apart from other sellers. Customers SO appreciate you taking the time to make their parcel extra special and you wouldn’t believe the amount of lovely comments from happy customers you’ll receive. There are so many variations when it comes to personalisation so you can choose something that reflects you and your business” - Bardot in Blue

Big thanks to all who contributed!