That Springtime State of Mind!

Did Your Stores Get the Memo? 

This weekend marked the official arrival of Spring.

No, we're not talking just about the weather. Spring is really a state of mind! And that of course means it is a wonderful opportunity for retailers.

• No matter what merchandise you sell - whether it's tires, apparel, books, housewares, office supplies, whatever - every retailer is in the fashion business.
• And that means that your customers are wanting what is new and fresh. You know; "in fashion"! 

How to bring that Springtime State of Mind to your stores? 

It's easier than you think. And can be quite energizing for your staff as well as your shoppers!

• Tweak your displays. Feature merchandise with lighter/brighter colors. 
• Change the soundtrack. Lighter/brighter works here as well. 
• Wash the windows! Wash away that winter grime. A little sparkle and shine goes a long way. 
• Check the lights. Make sure none of them are out. Get rid of any dark corners. And by all means, insure that all spotlights actually shine onto merchandise, not that spot on the floor where the display used to be....
• Remember your staff. Maybe it's time for a Spring Fever treat for them. Whatever it takes to make sure they, like your customers, have that Springtime State of Mind. It's contagious!

Size Does Matter. Advantage: "Small Retailer"

Consider this assortment of seemingly random events:

• Stephen Marche, former college professor turned novelist, wrote a great commentary for Esquire  on "How to Quit Amazon and Shop in an Actual Bookstore."   An actual bookstore, he contends, is a place of discovery: "The book in the bookstore that you actually want is the one you don't know exists. Somewhere in there is something that's entirely fresh to you, and will reward your soul by exposure."
• An owner of  four specialty stores laughingly described the Millennial Generation shoppers in her stores: "So, they stand in front of the display, checking online reviews on their phone, and ask, 'How come you only have three different brands to choose from?' When I explain that we have already evaluated all those other brands, and selected the ones that are the best, they look baffled. They don't know what a store is! That's what we do; we edit the selections!"
• Wal-Mart announced that quarterly results overall were flat. However, sales at their small-format Neighborhood Markets grew nearly 6%. 
• Meanwhile, Nordstrom announced that its online sales for the quarter grew 22%, while sales at its flagship and mall-based stores declined 1.2%
• Amazon's announcement of its Local Register mobile credit card reading device - competing with Square and PayPal - emphasizes the availability of its 24/7 customer support via phone and email. 

Here are some of the patterns that we take from these events:

1. Yes, customers continue to behave very differently than ever before. Even as the economy continues a slow-growth recovery, we will not be "getting back to normal." And that means customers will not use bricks-n-mortar stores the same as before.
2. Knowledgeable, accessible, and personalized customer service is increasingly a strong competitive edge.

But, most important, we believe this shows that today's customers are hungry for exactly what specialty retailers can provide.

• Edited selections (the Millennials would call that "curated"). But they must have the rationale for those selections well-explained.
• Knowledgeable customer service and product know-how. (YouTube cannot explain everything!)
• Responsiveness, especially when an incoming phone call is answered by a real person!
• Human scale. Smaller formats with personal service are in.
• "Multi-channel" - You know, both online and real life stores that are coordinated, and let the shopper shop as they choose. 

Size DOES Matter

As an independent retailer, you already have an important competitive edge. And if improvements are needed, you still have the advantage: much easier to make changes with fewer stores. 

So, size DOES matter. Advantage: the "small retailer." As Anita Roddick, Founder of the Body Shop, so famously observed:

"If you think that being small means you can't have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito!"