Video briefs for busy clients: shopping without them there

For clients who can't give you a half-day, split the work into a short video brief, a shopping session you do alone, and a try-on appointment where they choose what to keep. The brief fixes sizes, style, budget and occasions; the try-on takes place at their home or office at a time they book; returns are handled by you afterwards. The client spends an hour in total, and you shop at your own pace with a clear list.

Some clients want a new work wardrobe but spend their days in meetings. Others live far from the shops, have small children, or simply dislike stores. A shopping trip together doesn't fit their week, but a video call and a try-on do. For you, it replaces a long trip at the client's pace with focused shopping at yours.

Write the brief down and send it. Shop with a margin: bring two sizes where fit is uncertain and a few alternatives, knowing what you can return and by when.

Arrive with the pieces grouped into outfits rather than a pile of bags, each with its price and return date noted. Start with the outfit you're surest about, so the session opens on a yes. Let the client react before you explain your choices, and photograph each combination they keep, which gives them a reference for getting dressed on busy mornings. Everything they don't keep goes straight back into labelled bags for returns. Finish by noting what's still missing; it becomes the brief for the next round.

Once you know a client's sizes and style, the next brief can be a short call rather than a full session. Offer a shorter follow-up brief service at a lower price, and suggest a seasonal rhythm, for example before autumn and before summer, that you invite them to book when the time comes.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. You open slots for each service at the length it takes; clients pick a service, then a free slot. One place per slot, since each appointment is with one client.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. In the description of the video brief, say how you send the video link and what to have ready: a tape measure, favourite pieces, photos they like. Say how purchases are paid, since Book doesn't take payments.

The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note you read in your new-booking email. Ask what the shopping is for and the rough budget. The note can't be edited once the booking exists, so put the questions in the service description.

At the end of the video brief, agree the try-on date, then create the slot and book the client in from your calendar: first and last name are required, email and phone optional. With one place, the slot is full and hidden from your page. Plan your shopping backwards from that date, leaving time for a second store if something is missing. If the client's week changes, they contact you and you reschedule from your bookings list; Book doesn't email clients about changes, so confirm yourself. With calendar sync (Google, iPhone, Mac), briefs, shopping days and try-ons sit in one calendar. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.