How to Become a Personal Shopper
Enter this exciting and creative career and help people make more confident decisions about their purchases.
In a time-pressed world, personal shoppers help customers find exactly what they need, from household items and meals to clothing, fashion accessories, and luxury gifts. They also help clients save time and effort while avoiding the hassle of navigating crowded stores. When you learn how to become a personal shopper, you’ll find various job opportunities in retail stores, boutiques, department stores, image consulting firms, e-commerce platforms, supermarkets, and malls.
Personal shopping can be a fun, rewarding, and creative career that allows you to express your personal sense of style and fashion. If you excel in problem-solving, enjoy building relationships, and helping people, a career as a personal shopper could be your perfect fit.
Plus, it's always a great time to start looking for a job in this field as the demand for online shopping continues to grow, thanks to the digitalization of modern life. Read on to find out what a personal shopper does and the steps to take to enter this dynamic career.
What Is a Personal Shopper?
Essentially, a personal shopper helps customers make purchases, but because they can work in almost any retail industry, there are numerous personal shoppers' careers for you to consider. Depending on your interests, skills, and professional goals, here are some jobs, each with their own specialty and focus that may suit you:
- Fashion personal shopper: specializes in clothing, accessories, and other fashion-related items. They help clients select outfits and accessories that fit their style, body type, and budget.
- Beauty personal shopper: chooses cosmetics and skincare products that suit clients' skin type, color palette, and preferences.
- Home personal shopper: selects and buys home decor, furniture, and other household items to fit clients' design style, budget, and functional needs.
- Gift personal shopper: helps choose gifts for special occasions, such as birthdays, weddings, and holidays.
- Luxury personal shopper: specializes in high-end fashion and luxury items. They assist clients in choosing designer clothing, accessories, and other luxury goods.
- Online personal shopper: navigates online stores, finds items that fit client's needs and preferences, and manages orders and returns.
- Personal Food Shopper: visits grocery stores, markets, restaurants, or other food outlets to purchase meals, groceries, and other food items. Ensures that products reach the customer safely and on time.
What Does a Personal Shopper Do?
As a personal shopper, your primary responsibility is to assist clients with their shopping needs and help them make purchases that fit their style and preferences. Your specific duties may vary depending on the type of personal shopping service you provide, but generally, may include:
- Meeting with clients to discuss their needs and preferences.
- Researching and identifying products that match clients' needs and preferences.
- Suggesting and presenting product options to clients, including clothing, accessories, and home goods.
- Selecting items for clients to try on or purchase.
- Assisting clients with trying on and fitting items.
- Providing styling and fashion advice to clients.
- Negotiating prices and discounts with retailers.
- Placing orders for clients and arranging for delivery or pickup.
Overall, your role as a personal shopper is to provide excellent customer service and help clients feel confident and satisfied with their purchases.
How to Become a Personal Shopper
Learning how to be a personal shopper generally involves developing a combination of fashion sense, shopping strategies, communication skills, and business acumen. While there's no specific education required, having relevant skills and experience in customer service, fashion, retail, or related fields can make you more valuable to an employer. This experience can help build a network of contacts and understanding of how stores operate.
Keeping up with the latest fashion trends, following fashion influencers, and attending fashion shows and events can help you develop a sense of style that supports your work as a personal shopper. Consider taking courses or workshops in fashion, retail, and merchandising to boost your knowledge.
It’s a good idea to create a portfolio of your work as a personal shopper, showcasing your styling skills and demonstrating your ability to meet clients' needs. While not required, a certification from a reputable organization such as the Association of Image Consultants International can help you demonstrate your skills and expertise.
Knowing how to become a personal shopper also involves acquiring the following skills to help you succeed:
- communication skills
- attention to detail
- excellent customer service
- time management and organizational skills
- business acumen
- problem-solving
- creativity
How Much Do Personal Shoppers Make?
Because this field is so vast, your personal shopper salary will depend on your experience and the industry in which you work. For example, the median salary for a retail sales consultant - a similar role is $35,376, while a retail beauty consultant makes around $29,728, and a mystery shopper earns $38,147 per year.
Your salary will also differ according to where you live. Check out Monster's Salary Tool to find out how much personal shoppers and retail consultants earn on average in your area. We'll also give you insights into how to increase your earning potential and advance your career.
How to Find Personal Shopper Jobs
Nailing how to become a personal shopper requires perseverance and commitment. That's why it's essential to have an updated resume customized to fit the company's needs, ensuring it includes relevant keywords throughout. Pay equal attention to your cover letter and explain your interest in the job and your motivations for wanting to work as a personal shopper.
Now you're ready to start searching for personal shopper jobs on Monster. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the top-paying states for retail salespersons are:
The top five metro areas with the highest number of opportunities are:
Find a Personal Shopper Career That Fits Like a Glove
Now that you have all the information you need about how to become a personal shopper, start shopping for jobs on Monster. Simply create your free profile and upload your resume to connect with recruiters in your field looking for talented candidates. We’ll also send you all the latest job openings so you can be one of the first in line to apply.