The Rise of the Personal Shopper

It’s not a new concept, but the number of people who make a living from sourcing goods on behalf of clients is on the rise. We talked to three personal shoppers to find out what it takes.

- By Shireen Fisher

Personal shoppers are professional curators of goods for private clients – and these goods can be anything from clothing and accessories to furniture, art and gifts.

Having no time to shop has been the main reason clients make use of a personal shopper, but Covid-19 restrictions have brought an unexpected boon for personal shoppers of luxury goods, according to Forbes Africa: where once the rich would have travelled abroad for their designer duds, they now use retail entrepreneurs. So if you’re a black-belt shopper, this might be the right career move! We got the lowdown from three personal shoppers…

FROM MODEL & RESTAURATEUR TO PERSONAL SHOPPER

NAME: Jessica Rushmere

BUSINESS: Your Style by Jessica

WEBSITE: yourstylebyjessica.com

START-UP COSTS: A good logo, a business card, brochures and a website

Jessica, who was born in France and now lives in Cape Town, has been a personal shopper for 13 years. After selling her first restaurant, she felt it was time for a new venture.