Know your customer

For the home decor category, it is important that seaside retailers know their customers and their intentions. Emily Mills, co-owner of Coastal Cottage in Southport, North Carolina, shares that customers looking to decorate a primary home will have different tastes from customers who are just visiting town looking to bring some decor home with them, or even from customers who are decorating their vacation home or a rental home for vacationers.

Mills notes that Coastal Cottage has customers from a variety of demographics shopping for home decor, so the store tries to carry items that will meet all their needs. Customers that want decor for their primary residence tend to seek higher quality pieces, says Mills. But she’s also found that durability and cost are bigger factors for customers shopping to decorate a vacation home or rental unit.