The term "millennial" tends to divide members of the generation it’s been ascribed to: Some accept the label, others reject it. Kaitlyn Blum not only wears the label proudly, but she also cites it as one of the main reasons she was able to easily translate her brick-and-mortar clothing boutique to an online store.
“As a millennial, I live on the internet,” she says. “I’m also my target audience, which makes my job a million times easier.”
Kaitlyn was hired as an eBay photographer in 2013 for Urban Outlet Incorporated, a company that had been selling urban menswear for 13 years in the small town of Sterling, Illinois. When she joined the team, they were looking to create an online store but didn’t know how to get started, so she volunteered to tackle the project.
Since urban menswear was on its way out and the demand for women’s clothing was on the rise, they decided to shift their focus to 20-something women. Within a week, Kaitlyn had designed a Shopify store, signed up for Mailchimp, started taking photos of her friends wearing the clothes, and rebranded the company as UOI Boutique.
Here’s what Kaitlyn learned when she rebranded her clothing boutique for the internet.
Focus on your product photography
As an avid Pinterest user, Kaitlyn knew she could use the platform to drive more traffic to her online store, so all her photos have to be “Pinterest-worthy.” She crops her images to focus on specific items she’s advertising and keeps the backgrounds simple. She also makes inspiration boards, like #OOTD (outfit of the day), to help her followers put together an outfit for any occasion.