Is Your Store a Torture Chamber?
Creating a Companion-Friendly Store
– Don Capman, President, J.D. Associates
Do you remember the days when women wore “picture hats?” Every Sunday morning in church, I would find myself sitting behind the remains of a peacock or a flower garden resting on someone’s head. No matter how stylish picture hats were way back then, to this day, I still harbor a deep resentment for them. Why should a hat evoke such feelings you ask? Do you have any idea how many hours went into choosing that hat? Well, I do, since I was the impatient kid standing around in Filene’s while my mother tried on each and every hat in the place. Since there was nothing better to do than pick on my younger brother, those torturous shopping excursions usually got me into a lot of trouble. So, what am I getting at? As retailers, we try to make the shopping experience for the consumer as pleasant as possible. Furthermore, as specialty retailers, we try to keep our inventories fresh, deep, unique and exciting. We also try to create an atmosphere that invites the consumer to come back often. But what if the primary consumer is dragging along a companion, be it a child, spouse, or friend, who has no interest in your merchandise? [Get the full story]
Perspective Matters
– Doug Fleener
Look around your store and ask yourself the following three questions:
- Do I have any "customer landmines?" Customer landmines are policies, procedures, or merchandising methods that unintentionally upset customers and may cause them to leave you for your competition. I call them landmines because so many retailers don't even see them or the harm they can cause to their business. Landmines can make for unhappy customers who decide that shopping with you is not worth the effort. Sometimes this happens when the store's return policy is dictated primarily by what meets the retailer's needs, not the customer's. Less obvious landmines can include the type of music played in the store, the volume level of the music, parking availability, store hours or overcrowded and messy stores…. [Get the full story]
I Read About That in the Paper
– Rick Segel
When was the last time your customers said that about your business? Why not? I’ll tell you why you haven’t heard that. The media doesn’t know who you are and you probably have never given them anything to write about. Conservatively, over 80% of the stories you read in the paper or see on TV are suggested by PR firms or interested parties. The term interested parties covers many different types of people including business owners and managers, from both big and/or small companies…. [Get the full story]
