Apricot Lane Boutique | 9
about we embrace this cause and set up a
training center to employ victims of sex traf-
ficking with great jobs and provide a hope
for their future?’” he says. “It’s not an easy
cause to embrace, but it’s something that we
need to do.”
“
We’re going to make a difference in
this world beyond just selling fashion and
apparel.”
They’re also involved in the breast can-
cer awareness month campaign in October
and each franchisee supports their favorite
local charities.
EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY
Another critical component to Apricot Lane
is technology. Social media is “huge” within
the company, Petersen says. They have an
aggressive approach with their grassroots
marketing campaign to use social media to
engage their customers. “The customer ex-
perience is very ivmportant to us and we’ve
embraced social media to enhance that expe-
rience and relationships are being developed
through them,” he says.
Their franchisees are also starting to
engage in e-commerce at the store level. Two
of their stores are currently testing e-com-
merce – one in Peoria, Illinois and another
in Dallas, Texas. “We’re very pleased with
the results. Not only have they added new
sales, but they’ve added on new e-commerce
sales at a very aggressive rate,” he says. “It’s
something we’re excited about and hoping
Ken Petersen