Thanksgiving is next week, Christmas is a few short weeks away, and if it doesn't exactly feel like the holiday shopping season is upon us... well.
By now, most independent retailers understand that this holiday season will be just as challenging as last year, if not even more so. They've planned accordingly, but still are determined to be at the very top of their game. In an environment where every sale has to be earned one customer at at time, anything less simply won't do.
As we look to the next few weeks, and beyond into 2010, being at the top of your game is the name of the game. The pieces we feature this month focus on those things that independent retailers can do and are doing to truly set themselves apart. The same-old will no longer do. Every customer must come away with an experience that's distinctive, compelling and memorable.
Here in New England, the leaves are just about all raked up, and just about every morning now there's a crystal layer of frost. Winter's coming. Happy Thanksgiving, and pass the stuffing!
Why do we shop and buy the way we do? In a work that will explain much about the American character, Eisenberg chronicles the dynamics of selling and buying from almost every angle. Neither a cheerleader for consumption nor an anti-consumerist scold, he explores with boundless curiosity the vast machinery aimed at inducing us to purchase everything from hair mousse to a little black dress. He leads us, with understated humor, into the broad universe of marketing, retailing, advertising, and consumer and scientific research--an arsenal of powerful forces that combine to form what he calls "The Sell Side."
Through the rest of the book, Eisenberg leads us through the "Buy Side" -- a journey directly into our own hearts and minds, asking among other questions: What are we really looking for when we buy? Why are we alternately excited, guilt-ridden, satisfied, disappointed, and recklessly impulsive? What are our biases, need for status, impulses to self-express, that lead us individually to buy what we buy? Learn more about the book...
"If you've been observing and engaging customers, you may have noticed that even luxury buyers are seeking high value at a low price... This trend represents a major shift from the days when luxury buyers bought for exclusivity-so that other people would covet what they had. Customers today know what they want to experience, and they're often looking for products and services that make their lives easier or more fulfilling. At the same time, they still want value." From Retail Customer Experience...
"Walt Disney Company announced last month that in an effort to reverse the ill fortunes of its 340 U.S. and European retail stores they would undergo a transformation. What was perhaps even more interesting was the fact that they enlisted the help of Apple's prophetic leader and Disney board member Steve Jobs... While we mere mortals could never dream of engaging the help of someone like Steve Jobs, there are some valuable lessons that we can take from this - lessons that are transferable to any retail operation. From Retail Customer Experience...
"I may not have invented the idea of making a stuffed animal, but I did provide a venue for it. When I started Build-a-Bear Workshop, most malls had little to offer children. The stuffed-animal business was mostly seasonal, but I didn't let the way others made or sold stuffed animals deter me. Our concept was based on customization and guest entertainment. Adults told me my idea wouldn't work. "Who wants to make their own stuffed animals?" they argued. But every kid said, "Where is it? When can I do it?" From CNNMoney.com...
"At a time when retail sales are expected to be weak, some stores are aligning themselves with nonprofits in a bid to get consumers to feel better about spending money again. For example, the owners of Tennessee Cheesecake donate 10 percent of each sale to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee when they sell a $24 gourmet pumpkin cheesecake." From Tennessean.com...
"Darryl Gamble is on a mission. "I always want women to look pretty," he said. As owner of Darryl's, a contemporary boutique in Rhinebeck and New York City, Gamble is doing exactly that - dressing his female clients in clothes that make them look and feel great. Gamble's success as a retailer is about more than the styles he carries in his stores. How he sells the clothes matters, too. "I'm a psychiatrist on the side," Gamble said, joking. In truth, he connects with his clients by listening carefully to learn who they are and what they want. From the Poughkeepsie Journal...