Can you imagine being a 30 year old entrepreneur and seeing your entire livelihood jumpstart off of a product as small as a matchbox car? Can you imagine that one day your product would be essentially relegated to a split-second purchase as the customer is leaving the store? Your product takes less than two square feet of floor space in an 80,000 square foot mega-store, but has been profitable much longer than most other items in the store ... and yet it's the last thing a customer thinks about.
Don't forget the value of that space at the checkout. Wrigley's has been making its fortune from those few valuable inches of space and last-second purchases for over a century. The company has a fascinating history (gum was a gift item packaged with baking powder, but soon became more popular than the powder!) ... see here for more on that company.
It's not enough to cram an entire store full of merchandise, you have to pull those last dollars out of the sale at the checkout. Major boxes have done this for years, but small businesses typically don't or overdo it.
Take a page out of their playbooks this holiday season. Use the checkout area of the store as a way to remind shoppers to pick up small gifts of thanks for teachers, doctors, bus drivers, mail carriers, etc, or better yet use the space to provide stocking stuffer super buys! Those extra couple of dollars per customer can amount to percentages in profits come December 31!
In a 2012 Nickelodeon study, 56 percent of parents run their
homes in a Board of Directors approach where they make the final decisions
after consulting the thoughts of their children. "Little Timmy, where would you like to
eat tonight?"
Think about the impact of this on our downtowns and in your
business. More from that study:
"In the U.S., 71% of parents solicit and consider their
kids' opinions when making purchases. That percentage jumps to 94%
internationally.
Parents in both the U.S. and internationally seek their
kids' opinions when buying products for them. In the U.S., 95% of parents do,
and internationally 99% of parents seek their children's opinions. When making
family purchases, 69% of U.S. parents confer with their kids, while
internationally, 87% do. As far as making purchases for themselves, 28% of U.S.
parents talk about it with their children before making the purchase, while 55%
of international parents do.
The categories that kids are most collaborative in as far as
purchases go are clothes and shoes (85%) and fast food (also 85%). The
percentage drops to 56% when it comes to making vacation decisions and to 49%
in a mobile phone purchase."
What is your store doing to be kid friendly? When was the last time you engaged the child
in conversation, offered kid freebies or purchased children's merchandise even
if it isn't your traditional business model?
Perhaps it's time to worry less about what kids might break, touch or
steal and focus more on what we can do to bring their influence to
the table to make a sale.
For many of us, shopping small/shopping local is nothing new and nothing out of the ordinary either. We don't have to train ourselves on the importance of supporting local businesses, but for our neighbors and those that aren't so informed about the importance of mom and pops, we need to be diligent in our delivery.
Thanks to our friends at American Express for their efforts over the past couple of years to push the Small Business Saturday initiative. It is always a great pat on the back of Main Street when corporations see our value. Here in Georgia, we want to make sure our communities are also engaged in the efforts to shop small and shop local.
The Georgia Main Street Program has released a series of ads that communities can place in papers, add to websites, add to facebook and stores can print for windows and sales pieces.
Here are some additional tips to reminded customers about the impact of shopping local:
1) Use your best display areas to focus on products that are closest to home. Showcase local artists, locally produced foods, clothing, crafts, etc. Even if the item is made in the same city or state, highlight American-made products.
2) Use descriptive signs to tell the story of local products. Make sure that customers in your restaurant know that you are featuring a Georgia wine, local produce, local meats and dairy with a note/symbol in the menu. Ask your servers to specifically say, "Georgia Shrimp" instead of just shrimp and grits. I know I am more likely to buy it if I here things like farm-to-table or a familiar place in the name.
3) Feature the person doing the work. If you are a florist, have the local designer do a display during open house, provide tutorials, showcase themselves with their products and interact with the customer. Ask the farmer to walk around during dinner service greeting the customer and thanking them for buying the meal that featured his greens. Sometimes this can be done with a picture of the farmer, designer, craftsman alongside the display.
4) Don't underestimate the importance of the back story. When people select gifts for Christmas, sometimes they want the story. "I bought you this piece of jewelry and got to meet the artist. He said it is interpreted as a pheonix flying through the sunset ... can you see that?" I'm not saying some stories aren't odd, but a story sticks with the gift even as it is passed on to the next owner.
5) Make sure your customers understand their impact on you and your family. Let them know that by shopping with you, they are helping you provide Christmas for your family. Put a picture of your family in a nice frame next to the register that says something like, From Our Family to Yours, Happy Holidays. The one benefit that small businesses need to utilize is the fact that customers can meet the owner ... let them meet you this holiday!
6) Don't forget that one impact small businesses can have is the personal touch. Offer gift wrapping, offer shipping, offer anything that makes it easier.
7) Use the Miracle on 34th Street Approach. Know what your neighbors have in stock and help customers find their needs in your community while they are there.
8) Allow customers to create a wishlist in your store. Allow them to mark a few things they would like to have and put it on a card. Then allow their family to see their card when they come into shop and get mom or dad or grandma exactly what they want.
Display windows are the eyes to the soul of a business for retailers. But for many, the display windows don't get nearly the attention that they need. For many small businesses, changing out the windows can be overwhelming and even challenging. By using an artistic eye or better yet, leaning on the assistance of local artists and other retailers, these windows can bring a great deal of life to the downtown and to the business.
Here are 5 things to remember when doing your windows:
1) Keep down the clutter.
2) Do something that elicits thought.
3) Make the window memorable.
4) Make sure it looks good both night and day.
5) Use the entire window!
So without further ado, here are some great snapshots of windows to watch:
I hope that gets you into creative gear. Do something memorable this holiday season!
There are exactly ten Fridays left in 2013. So for the rest of this year, I'll be blogging tips to make downtown areas and businesses stronger for the holiday season and beyond.
Today's tip is for the local small businesses: Keep it about the customer. For years, Hollywood has enjoyed the spoof of poor customer service ... here are some classic examples of that:
So how do small businesses downtown do better? If we want to tap the mind of the customer we have to make sure everything for them is an:
It starts from the moment they see the front door of your business or the sidewalks in your town. CLEANLINESS is paramount in first impressions. Don't be the store owner with the dead fly tribute in the windows. A tidy sidewalk, clean windows, and well designed window displays set the tone for downtown success.
Don't make customers sign a waiver to visit you ... even if it is just mental. Try to avoid these:
Give the customers the up-front benefit of the doubt. If they feel like they are in trouble before the enter the door, they probably won't stay long, probably won't buy, may not come back.
Do set the tone through the senses. Major franchises understand the need for music, high-lighting, aromas, and samples. If you give a customer a beverage (coffee, cider, water on a hot day, iced tea, lemonade, wine, etc.) they will stay at least long-enough to finish the drink. The longer they browse the more likely they are to purchase something.
OFFER ASSISTANCE BUT DON'T BE PUSHY ...
Use phrases like, "Is there anything in particular you are looking for?" instead of "What do you need?"
"Is this for you or someone else?" instead of "Do you need it wrapped?"
Always offer to demonstrate the product, allow them to try it on, test it, or see it un-boxed.
If a customer has several items in their hands, free the up to buy more buy offering a basket or offering to take the items to the register to begin wrapping/packaging. NEVER walk around with the customer, its creepy and rude.
If a customer comes in and is leaving without a purchase, ask if there was something in particular they were looking for. If they provide an answer, do your best to tell them where they can find it ... even though you may not get the sale, they will appreciate your assistance and you'll gain a customer and a good reference.
SURVEY YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS
Treat them like VIPs. Have a special after-hours product launch, open house or preview for them by invitation only to see new merchandise, displays, or products. Give them the golden ticket to feel needed by your business and they will not soon forget the experience. When you see new product that you might take on, run it by a sample of customers to gauge their interest. Once a year, ask your customers if they would be willing to take a short survey to help your businesses do better. Ask the following customer-based questions as a sample:
How many times would you say you have been to the store this year? Have you been fully satisfied with all of your purchases? If not, what can we do to make you satisfied? What are one or two things you would like to buy downtown that you currently cannot find? Is there a particular employee you enjoy working with? If you could change one thing about our store, what would it be?
As an incentive, give them 10% off for their feedback or give them something small you cannot seem to move off the floor.
StartUpNation.com (which is a great small business resource you should check out) says this is
What keeps customers satisfied
Knowledgeable and available staff : While a customer is making the buying decision, they want knowledgeable assistance, available when they want it . Customers place a high value on accurate information and want to be served by employees who know the product inside and out.
Friendly people: Customers not only want product-savvy sales people, they want them to be friendly and courteous. Your staff should value each customer more than any individual sale.
Good value: This is where price factors in. But customers surveyed see price as only one component of the bigger picture of “value” that includes the service, information and follow-up they also receive.
Convenience: The service rule here is simple: make it easy! Says Gross, “Customers want merchandise that is well organized, attractively displayed and easy to find. That’s how today’s customers define convenience, and the easier you can make the shopping, the more money you will be lugging to the bank.”
A fast finish: This final item is where too many businesses fall flat, right at the finish line. While customers are in the process of deciding to buy or not, they are proceeding on your time. They want thoughtful help making the right decisions. But once the buying decision is made, get out of their way because now you are working on their time, and they want to complete the transaction and be on their way as quickly as possible. At the cash register, there is no time for making additional suggestions.
NEXT WEEK TUNE IN FOR DOWNTOWN EYE CANDY: THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT WINDOW DISPLAYS
Downtown business anchors come in many shapes, sizes and business plans. Across our great state of Georgia, I've seen the local hardware store, pharmacy, or a cool restaurant play that lead role. In Dahlonega, the anchor truly is sweet.
Opened in the recession of the early 80s, this family owned business has occupied a corner of the charming downtown square for over three decades. Tony Owens is a second generation owner of this unique chocoholic's dream store, purchasing the business from his parents in 2006. Tony represents a growing trend of entrepreneurs in our state, taking the reigns from retiring parents.
Though the key recipes remain the same, Tony has made changes to leave his mark on the company, changing hours, updating relationships and taking advantage of the internet.
Tony believes that local product makes a big difference. Whether its apples from Blue Ridge, cream from Clairmont, or south Georgia pecans, the Fudge Factory uses state grown products where possible and that adds to the story and the charm of this place.
The company listens to customers. When surveying locals, Tony realized that many customers were being lost because of the stores hours. You simply cannot close at 5 p.m. and hope that customers can leave work early to shop your goods. A wholesale change of hours ensued. The store opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. Within the first year, Tony noted an 11% increase in sales! The attention to customer needs and serving those needs has made all the difference. Go by for a free sample, too.
Tony saw a need to build partnerships and go digital. This local anchor sends products all over the world through it's e-commerce site at www.dahlonegafudgefactory.com. This business includes corporate customers that get specialized packaging from the store and their customers get a sweet reminder that the corporate partner values their customers.
So what is the future for this important business in downtown Dahlonega? It's growing. Tony saw the need for a bakery downtown and is moving forward with a redevelopment project called Baked on Main to do just that. It's great seeing entrepreneurs dive into other directions with the goal of giving back to the community and making an impact on their corner of the world. Thank you, Tony!
There may be nothing sexier in downtown development that a good old fashioned striptease. You heard me. Before you proceed, click the link for the music just to get you in the mood:
Downtown development is a process and sometimes stripping down to your roots is the best way to get that process started. Here in Georgia, we average one building rehabilitation completed in our Main Street cities everyday of the year. It's just plain exciting to watch. It takes a willing eye to imagine what is underneath those layers of paint, tin, fiberglass, stucco, and slipcovers that have adorned our downtown buildings since the 1960s. Today we see buildings like this (the old Belk Matthews in Milledgeville, Georgia):
become buildings like this:
The hard work and close eye to detail by developers like Frank Pendergast made this project possible. Using our Downtown Design Studio in Athens, Frank and Milledgeville saw the reclamation of this downtown eyesore into a centerpiece for mid-block rejuvenation. Now home to lofts, an interior courtyard and reclaimed retail space that includes a restaurant, the building houses students from Georgia College & State University, and even a family with two young children. This strip job was gorgeous!
In many towns around our nation, we see this:
Imagine the time and energy that went into planning buildings so that the daytime light could be used to benefit the space inside. Then generations later, we forgot the need of daylight when we forgot that second and third floors could be valuable and useful space instead of something that we just cover up.
Thanks to the hard work of groups like the Kirbo Charitable Trust and Main Street Bainbridge, Georgia, this property got a face life that included reclaiming it's original assets. Our Downtown Design Studio staff provided a plan for renovation and restoration and now this space has life on multiple floors again:
Who thinks closing down Main Street permanently is a great idea? The federal government did when they provided grants to Toccoa, Georgia to convert their downtown into a pedestrian mall. Concrete canopies lined what use to be the streetscape. Not too many years later, the stores were gone, the customers were gone, but the concrete stood. Thanks to the leadership of Toccoa and its Main Street Program, the canopies came down and the façades were restored. It's amazing to see this city today!
Finally, in the town I call home, Canton, Georgia, the County sold its abandoned administrative office complex downtown to a developer to remove metal awnings and stucco. The past is being revealed one piece at a time and it's so exciting to see what's going to happen here.
If you want your downtown to improve, sometimes the best way to catch the public eye is a sexy façade striptease!
