What do you get when you combine a fabulous international shopping venue with a retailer that loves to decorate? You get the most incredible week, and if you've been keeping up with us on our Facebook page, you'll know that Scott and I've been at the California Gift Show. So many fascinating things to look at, so many places to go and people to see, it truly can be a scramble - but a very exciting scramble it is! It's always a special treat to connect with the leaders in our industry, even more so to listen to their synopsis of the hot topics affecting retailers today.
On Saturday, Scott and I hit the Convention Center for a retailer's roundtable discussion with four such ladies. The group of four was moderated by Marisa Marcantonio, former style editor for House Beautiful and O at Home, an Oprah Magazine, and author of the Stylebeat blog. She gracefully led the three panelists, Gifts and Decorative Accessories Magazine's editor-in-chief Carolyn Kennedy; Jenny Heinzen York, the editor-in-chief of Home Accents Today; and Traditional Home Magazine's Senior Design and Style editor Krissa Rossbund; in a discussion that was informative, inspirational and touching.
The discussion centered around what retailers in today's rough market should and could be doing to not only increase their bottom line, but reach beyond that to touch their customer's lives in a positive fashion. There was talk of target markets and knowing who your customers are. For those of us who are struggling to make it to the next season, their advice was to engage! Engagement takes many forms these days, but we retailers should be using all the new sources, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to communicate with and grow our customer bases. But that's not the only way to reach people. Have you ever noticed that when you tell your kids, or anyone else, a story they tend to settle back and listen? How many retailers out there are only using the avenues I mentioned to blindly shout "Here we are and this is what we've got!" into the world-wide web without giving your potential followers and customers anything else to identify you with?
Tell them your story, the ladies advised. Let people know who you are, what you stand for and what you can do for your community! What a waste of time if you're not thinking of how to impress your brand - your store and your story - into your customer's mind. I've often told our crew here at WFS that when we're at the store, it's like we're on stage. Every time we interact with a customer, we should be giving them not only service, we should be giving them an experience (and hopefully, a pleasant one). We should be giving them something to talk about, so they can in turn tell their friends about you. In essence, creating a community of people who are willing to come to you, to listen to your story, to recognize your brand and identify it with a positive experience.
In towns and cities across the nation, small stores like WFS are creating communities of people who want to shop with them. They know the story of the store, what they're about and what they do. Don't leave them guessing, my friends. Reach out and touch the people with your story and let them know how you can help them, make their lives easier, and most of all, make them feel they matter! It's a harsh world out there - a savvy retailer will make sure that her customers are experiencing shopping bliss, even if just for a few minutes.
We'll talk more about engagement and important trends you can take advantage of next week. Until then, have a wonderful week. Don't forget, our Fancy Food Truck Fridays is coming up on August 12th, and our monthly Wine Tasting Event (Frosty Whites For Summer!) will be on August 20th!
Lori & Scott
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