Charles was worried. It had been over six months of slow traffic in his store. This was usually his busiest time of year.

But sales had dropped right off. In this previously busy shopping district, stores were closing, or being sold. He didn’t want his store to be the next to shut its doors.

What could Charles do?
Slow sales had nearly erased his marketing budget.
Charles needs to get customers in the store, fast.
He’d like to host some events in his store to get people in the door.
But, he doesn’t know where to start.

What kinds of events are effective marketing tools?
Shoppers need a reason to go visit your store.
An event gives them a reason, a date and time.
Events attract attention.
They’re special.
They’re limited in time.

Events help new shoppers discover you, and get to know you.

Not all events get results
Some events can be a whole lot of work, with little payoff.
Which ones will give you the best payoff?
Let’s find out by looking at four different types of events.

Which events are the best marketing tools?
1) Sales Events
2) Community Events
3) Entertainment Events
4) Education Events

Not all events are great for building customers.  Let’s have a look at each of these and see which one is the best for building a loyal customer base.

1) Sales Events
When we talk about retail events, we often think of sales promotions. These include VIP shopping nights, late night shopping, fashion shows, discounted price specials. These are common in retail, especially for fashion retailers.

There’s nothing wrong with these events, in moderation. They can be used effectively as bonuses for loyal customers. Or rare special promotions.

But as an attraction tool, they’re boring. Shoppers have all seen fashion shows. They’re used to discounts. They won’t give up other activities in their busy schedule for yet another promotion. You have to spend a lot of money and energy to promote these events, and make them enticing.

So, retailers use discounts as an attraction for these events.
And end up training their customers to only buy on sale.

Stay away from sales events as a primary customer attraction tool.
Let’s look at another type of event.

2) Community Events
Community events happen in many neighbourhoods. They might celebrate a theme like the Calgary Stampede, or Car Free Days.

They could be cultural or charity events. Local businesses are encouraged to get involved by sponsoring events, holding sidewalk sales, in-store activities, and displays.

Participating in these events often adds extra costs. You’re promised a big increase in traffic. More traffic means more sales, right? With high expectations, you buy balloons, add extra staff, create a themed display.

And what happens?
Crowds come to the event to eat. Or listen to music. Or participate in activities.
Your store might be empty of customers.
Or you might be run off your feet with browsers.
But one thing is sure, almost no one is at the event to shop.

After all the hype, and all the work, it’s disappointing when we don’t get the results we expect. We might start to think that community events are a waste of time and resources.

Community events may not be good for generating immediate sales.
But they can be effective as a way to connect with people in the community.
However, that’s another article.

As a regular customer attraction tool, you can’t rely on community events.
So, what’s next?

3) Entertainment Events
Entertainment events can include hosting live music, DJs, and movies. Entertainment events work well for the right business. They can be effective for art galleries. Music events or art movies are the perfect fit for a gallery. Entertainment is also great for youth oriented products like clothing, skateboarding and snowboarding. For young people, entertainment has high value making it a good addition to a youth oriented store. Of course, entertainment events are great for entertainment oriented products as well.

Not all products fit into one of these categories. There’s another type of event that works well for most, if not all, products.

4) Education Events
Education events include any kind of training or information sessions. They include seminars, workshops and classes. And you don’t have to stop there. Education can be a creative blend of entertainment and learning. It can be a special guest speaker. A demonstration. An artist-in-residence.

The key to successful education events is to solve a problem for the customer. If you don’t know what kind of problems they have, listen to their questions in the store. Do they have questions about how to use your product? Or about which product is best for them? Think about how you could turn those questions into a seminar. For example, one of my clients sells travel gear. He hosts a regular packing seminar on how to pack for a vacation abroad. His seminars are always full.

Scrapbooking and sewing stores have classes. Home renovation stores have woodworking workshops. Book stores have author talks, book clubs and writers’ clubs. An art gallery offers pottery and figure drawing classes. Fashion apparel stores provide workshops with image consultants. A home décor store gives decorating seminars by interior designers.

Whatever product you sell, there are topics you can use to offer relevant education. And when you offer the education shoppers are looking for, they turn into regular customers. They bring friends with them. They want to know more.

Not only do customers appreciate the education, but they buy more. Education helps the shopper understand what you’re selling, how to use it, and how it helps them solve a problem. And so they’re happy to buy from you.

So, why does education transform window shoppers into customers?

Education builds trust
When the customer learns from you, they learn to trust you. They realize you’re not just after a quick sale. They’re not afraid of being on the receiving end of a pushy sales pitch. Instead, the customer realizes you understand their problem, and you really want to help. People like to buy from someone they know, like and trust. Providing education to your customers builds relationships and builds trust.

‘I’d love to have events, but I need more traffic first’
It’s tempting to think you need a big customer roster to start having events. But it’s actually just the opposite.

Education events are the tool you need to build the traffic right from the start. Education events provide value for the customer. For example, the chance to learn to dress for your figure type has a high value for the right shopper. More value than just another dress on a hanger. Offering a valuable learning opportunity to the right customer sets you apart from the competition.

Use your unique offering to start with just a few customers at a time. Try an event for 5 people. Make it exclusive. Tell people about it for a few weeks ahead of time. Have people book in advance. When your first event fills up, don’t just say it’s full. Start booking for the next one.

Summary
There are four types of events you can host in your store.

1) Sales Events
2) Community Events
3) Entertainment Events
4) Education Events

Each of these events has a purpose, and may have a place on your retail calendar. But only education events steadily build the customer base without breaking the bank.

If you’re like Charles and need to start building your customer base right away, you know what to do, right?

Next Step
How do you find out what kind of education events would be right for your customers? Next time we’ll look at finding out what your customers want.

A few years ago I went shopping for blueberry bushes for my yard.  The nursery offered a couple of choices. There were large bushes that would produce a crop of blueberries the next year. Or the ones in my price range. These bushes were small and would need regular care and tending to grow into a large, productive bush.

Caring for these blueberries to make them productive, is a lot like caring for your business to make it productive.

Store events give regular care to your business

Regular events help your store grow and thrive. Regular events attract new shoppers, and bring existing customers back time and again. When you hold them on a consistent basis, events don’t have to be grandiose to be successful. In fact, small events can be better than large ones.

Think small

If your budget is large, you can host large, lavish parties. You can spend money of advertising campaigns. You can hire someone for public relations. But most of us don’t have a large budget. Most of us are trying to do as much as we can with small, even miniscule, budgets. Small budgets equals small events. And small events have advantages over big events.

Small events are easy

Retailers often shy away from events. An event seems like a big commitment. A lot of energy. Extra time. Big costs. Big intimidation factor.

Small events don’t have those drawbacks. They’re casual. They have zero intimidation factor.

What makes small events easy?

1) Easy to afford
2) Easy to manage
3) Easy to repeat

1) Easy to afford

Small events don’t require a large outlay of cash. Small events keep costs to the bare minimum. Plan events that might hold 10 − 20 people at the most. If you’re only inviting a small number of people, you don’t need a big marketing budget. You can invite people individually. Invite 10 customers and ask them each to bring a friend or two. Make it personal.

Stay away from lavish food. You might choose to provide some sparkling water, tea or coffee. Maybe some cookies. Keep it simple.

Avoid giving away pricey gift bags. Instead, provide an incentive to return to the store. Offer each guest a gift card or gift certificate that can be redeemed for a bonus with their next purchase.

You can even consider charging for your event. If the event has enough value for customers, you could charge a small fee to cover the cost. For example, if you are paying to have a special guest or speaker, customers don’t mind paying to attend.

Remember, events don’t have to break the bank. And they don’t have to be take a lot of time to plan.

2) Easy to manage

Small events are less intimidating to plan than large ones. There’s no big marketing plan. No catering to arrange. No venue to book.

For a small event you can fit all of the guests into your store. You don’t need extra staff. You can easily host a small event with one or two people. And the clean up is minimal.

When the event is small and casual, it’s a lot less pressure. And a lot less stress. When an event is easy to manage, you’ll find you can hold it more often.

3) Easy to repeat

When an event is easy to afford and manage, it’s easy to repeat. The best events for building your business are the ones that you can repeat over and over.

Why do events need to be repeated?

Repeating events brings in a steady stream of regular customers. The same customers come back time and again. And sometimes they bring friends. And they tell others. Word gets around. You’re no longer just a store, with passive products sitting on the shelves. Your store is a place where things happen. Where people get involved, with you, and with each other.

Repeating events is also efficient. You don’t have to create a new plan each time you hold an event. You create a system for your event. Each week, or each month, you hold the same event. You use your system to invite the guests, pick up the snacks, set up the room, and clean up after.

Soon the event becomes a routine you don’t even think about. A routine that brings customers into your store time and again.

But, I need more traffic right away!

Some people want lots of traffic right now. OK, well, we’d all like that.

The truth is big traffic equals spending big money. And big effort. You have to start planning months in advance. And you might only be able to afford to do that once. Besides, one off events aren’t going to keep people coming back. Those events will attract the customers that come for the big party. And then go home.

Wouldn’t you prefer a marketing tool that cost you less than a hundred dollars a week? And could add at least a couple of new customers each week? If you get started right now, you could host your first event within a couple of weeks. Sure, you might just have 5 people. Or even just a couple. The next week you might have 6 or 7 people. In six months you’ll have an established marketing system. And you might just have a waiting list for your events.

Summary

Small, in store events give regular care to your business. Just like my young blueberry bushes, your business will be thriving and fruitful before you know it.

Next Step

What kinds of events can you run? Next week we’ll look at how to come up with ideas for events for your store.

Recommended Product: Another great way to start off the new year. Learn more about Why Customers Aren’t Buying (And How To Fix It): The Pinwheel Principle

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Sarah’s bookstore hummed as customers milled about, chatting with each other.

Nearby store owners complained about the economy, and competition from big box stores. They closed at 5:00 pm on Wednesday & Thursday nights, because of slow traffic.

But Sarah’s store was open late, filled with customers those two nights of the week. She seemed to have a secret formula that kept her store thriving.

Events are the secret formula
Events give shoppers a reason to visit. If you don’t give them a reason, shoppers may intend to visit, but put it off. Or they may never have been to your store before. An event gives them a reason to check it out for the first time.

What’s Sarah’s secret?
Sarah knows that events are the key to getting customers in the door, predictably and reliably. She knows that two nights a week in-store events draw a store full of customers inside. Customers that are happy to tell other people about their experience.

Why is Sarah’s store busier than the others?
Every week Sarah hosts a writer’s group and a book club. Each event draws 15-20 people. Most of those customers are regulars, but occasionally they bring new friends with them.

You can learn to use Sarah’s secret in your store
There are three steps to creating events that get customers in the door:
1) Decide on a goal for the event
2) Create the event
3) Invite guests

1) Decide on a goal for the event
What do you want to accomplish with the event? Events are about customer relationships. Set goals that relate to building those relationships, and getting shoppers into the store.

Your goal might be to attract new customers to the store. It could be to get customers to sign up for a series of workshops. Or it might be to build relationships with your VIP or best customers.

Set goals that are specific. For example:

• • If your slowest day of the week is Monday, plan to bring in 5 new customers every Monday
• • If the store is dead in the middle of the day, create events to bring in shoppers midday
• • Increase visits by regular customers from occasional to weekly

Once you know what you want to achieve with the event, the next step is to plan the event itself.

2) Create the event
The events you run should relate to your customer needs. Create an event that helps your customer learn or do something.

The event you choose will depend on the type of product you sell. Ideas could be book club meetings for a book store, running club for an athletic shoe store, or style and fit workshops for a women’s apparel store. Events can be free or paid. They can include clubs, classes and workshops.

Whatever event you choose needs to add value for your customer. To help you come up with event ideas, ask yourself:

• • What kind of questions do customers ask about using your products?
• • What do they need help with?
• • What kinds of problems do they have that you can solve?

By helping your customers learn, they come to see you as an expert to turn to for information and advice. That is the value that will keep customers coming back to you, instead of the competition.

Now that you’ve figured out what kind of event you will have, let’s move on to the next step.

3) Invite guests
Don’t make the mistake of trying to make the event a big, mass media event. Or printing up hundreds of cheap flyers.

These events are about building relationships, so the invitations need to reflect that. Make it personal, like you would if you invited them to your home. Customers want to feel special like your friends do. Invite guests when they are in your store. Hand them invitations. Email invitations to customers you haven’t seen in a while. Put an invitation on your blog. Link it to all your social media; facebook page, twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Consider making the event exclusive to make it more desirable. Sarah’s writers group was exclusive. Only writers allowed. You can make events even more exclusive by asking for RSVPs, or charging a fee. Make sure the RSVP or fee information is clearly communicated in the invitation.

Once you’ve gone through these three steps, you’re ready to host your event.

What if no one buys anything?
This is a fear for many retailers. Hosting an event takes time, planning, and money. With all that investment, what if there are no sales?

The truth is, you may not sell anything. If the main goal of your event is to get new customers, you probably will sell very little. The event just gets the shoppers in the door. It’s like a first date. The shopper is just getting to know you. It’s a chance for you to start building a relationship.

In Sarah’s case, she often had nights that went by without sales at the event, but she wasn’t worried. These people were some of her best customers. They were book lovers. By visiting her store every week, they would see what was new on the shelves. They would place special orders. They’d come in throughout the week to pick up something they’d seen during the book club meeting. And they told their friends about the bookstore.

Sarah was happy to invest two nights a week hosting events. She knew they generated more business than an expensive advertising campaign would. And other than her time, the costs were minimal.

Summary
To create Sarah’s secret to get customers in the door, use these three steps:

1) Decide on a goal for the event
Choose a goal that is related to building customer relationships.
2) Create the event
Plan events that meets customer needs.
3) Invite guests
Create invitations that are personal and build relationships.

We all know exercise is good for us. It keeps us fit and gives us energy. If we exercise regularly, we can maintain a healthier weight. We have fewer aches and pains.

We know the benefits. For many of us, it’s a challenge to fit into our busy lives. We have so many urgent things to do, that it’s hard to fit exercise in. After a while, we start to notice that a short walk leaves us puffing for breath. Or our clothes fit a little snugger than they used to. We realize that our habits have left us out of shape.

Our stores get out of shape just like our bodies
When a store first opens, everything is shiny & new.
Clean windows.
Fresh paint.
New fixtures.
Shining spotlights.

And then we get busy with running the store
Each day is so full.
There’s marketing to do.
Calls to make.
Inventory to buy.
Displays to build.

Staff to manage.
And then there’s customers to serve!
With so much to do, we stop seeing the store as customers do.

The bright shiny shop starts to lose it’s sparkle
The floor gets scuff marks.
Table corners chip.
Paint gets worn.
Windows get dirty.

When you’re in the store everyday, it’s easy to overlook
those little changes over time.

What happens when the store starts getting out of shape?
Customers notice.
The image of the store starts to slip.
The shop no longer makes an attractive first impression.
New shoppers aren’t wowed anymore.
Existing customers start to drift away.
But the change is slow.
And hard to see.

One day the shop is fresh and new, a couple of years
later it looks a little worn around the edges.

What can you do to your store back in shape?
Or to keep it fit in the first place?

Just like exercise, it takes regular discipline.
And a little bit of planning.

Plan maintenance tasks in your daily activities
Because maintenance is rarely as urgent as ordering or unpacking merchandise, serving customers or managing employees, it doesn’t get done. Planning a few maintenance tasks every day is a way to make sure it doesn’t get forgotten.

For example, every morning wipe all the glass in the store, clean dust bunnies out of displays and replace burnt out lightbulbs. In the evenings, sweep or vacuum the floors. Once a week schedule fixtures, furniture and cupboards to be cleaned. And at the end of every month, walk through the store with a checklist and look for fixtures, walls, or flooring that needs to be repaired or repainted. Schedule the repairs to be completed within the next thirty days.

Scheduling maintenance will keep the sparkle your store
Maintaining your store sends a message to customers that you value quality, and pay attention to the details. They will appreciate your commitment to creating an inviting atmosphere. They’ll show their appreciation by coming back again. And again.

If you don’t have a maintenance plan for your store, today is the day to start.
Just like regular exercise keeps you fit, scheduled maintenance keeps your store in tip top shape.

The new year is a great time to get your store in top shape. Mark your calendar now to set up a maintenance schedule when your holiday rush as over. You’ll get the new year started off on the right foot.

Recommended Product: Another great way to start off the new year. Learn more about Why Customers Aren’t Buying (And How To Fix It): The Pinwheel Principle

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Have you ever walked into a store and just fallen in love?
It’s as if the store was created just for you.
It smells heavenly.
The lighting is beautiful.
Each display is exquisite.
The products are calling you.
It’s perfect.

Except…

it’s out of your price range
But you enjoy the atmosphere of the store
so much that you stay to browse.
You feel the fabrics.
Examine the fine stitching.
Feel the weight of the silverware in your hand.

You imagine…
…what that table would look like in your kitchen.
…what you’d look like in that sweater.
…how the bbq would look on your deck.

You dream of the day…
when you’ll be able to go home
with a table, sweater or bbq like those.
For now, you’re happy to take home just a little piece of
the dream. A table cloth, scarf or bbq accessories.

Shoppers want to take home the dream
Even if it’s just a small taste of the dream.

You can help your customers dream
There are three methods you can use to
help your customers dream:

1) Vignette displays
2) Varied price points
3) Visible pricing

1) Vignette displays
Vignette displays are small scenes. The purpose of a vignette is to show shoppers how products work together.This type of display works best with stores that sell furniture, home décor or gifts and tableware. When you have furniture or housewares, it is easy to create a scene that could be a part of someone’s home.

Set up a vignette in one section of the store, or as a window display. Using furniture, linens and décor items, create a scene that looks like a room in a house.

Vignettes can work for other stores too
Vignettes can be used in stores selling clothing.
Pet supplies.
Books.
Tools.
All it takes is a little thinking. And maybe a few props. A vignette doesn’t have to spell out all the details. It can just suggest a scene.

A clothing store could create a vignette that suggests a bedroom at night. Hang clothes on hooks on a wall. A chair nearby has a coat over the back, and a sweater folded on the seat. A pair of shoes are lined up neatly next to the chair.It looks like clothes laid out for the next day.

If you sell pet supplies instead, create a vignette to suggest an outing to take the dog for a walk. Include a leash, treats, clothing and toys.

Vignettes don’t have to be large displays
A few books stacked on a table, with a pair of reading glasses and a teacup are enough. The glasses and teacup add personality to the display.

A magazine opened to an inviting page demonstrating a building project can be transformed into a display. Add a toolbelt and workgloves with a circular saw, a handful of nails, hammer and some small scraps of lumber to suggest a building project underway.

Vignettes like these are just one way to help shoppers dream. That brings us to pricing.

2) Varied price points
How you price items in your vignettes can attract or repel shoppers. To attract shoppers to dream about your products, use a variety of price points.

High price
Large, key pieces in the vignette will be the high priced items. These are the products that attract the customer to the display. They are visible from a distance.

A home décor store would use furniture, such as a table and chairs. A museum shop would use a beautiful artwork. A clothing store might use a beautiful coat, or a leather jacket. A hardware store could use expensive tools.

The high price items command attention.But a display that consists only of high ticket items will quickly turn off many shoppers. They won’t stick around if everything is priced out of reach. Mixing some lower priced items into the display keeps the attention of the aspirational shoppers.

Low – medium price
Fill in the vignette display with small items affordable products. Lower prices don’t mean lower quality.Maintain the same high standards for quality and design in your lower priced items.

Some customers may not be able to afford the table and chairs, but perhaps they can afford the vase. Or the wine glasses.

The museum shop would display high quality art notecards, calendars or books. The clothing store would use a scarf. The hardware store could use copies of Fine Woodworking magazine.

Customers want to take a piece of their dream home with them. The high priced items are what they dream about– the table and chairs, the artwork, the leather jacket. But they can take a lower priced product home today. When they use that item,they remember the dream. And savour it.

But, what good is affordable pricing if shoppers can’t see the price? That brings us to the third method for helping your customers dream.

3) Visible pricing
Shoppers want to know the price of the items on display. When prices are hard to find, shoppers turn away.They assume that if products aren’t priced visibly, the items must be expensive.

To attract shoppers that will dream about your big ticket items, and save up for them–you need to tell them the price. Pricing the items clearly will let the customer know that the products have a range of price points. They’ll realize that not all the items are out of their price range.

Create unobtrusive, but visible price signs that complement the identity of the store. Use custom hangtags attached with string. Or elegant tent cards. Or a price list in a picture frame.

Why would you want shoppers who can’t afford to buy now?
These shoppers take up a lot of time.They browse. Or buy one or two small items. They aren’t the most profitable. So why would you want to attract them to your store? Loyalty.

Not the kind of loyalty that is given in exchange for earning points on a rewards card. I mean real loyalty. The kind that keeps customers coming back, year after year.

These customers develop a relationship with you and your store. Treat these aspirational shoppers well when they buy just one item. Or come in just to browse and dream.

Where will do you think they will go to splurge on a luxury for themselves when they land that new job? Or get a promotion? Where do you think they’ll shop when they save up the money for that new sofa? Or a piece of art they’ve been eyeing in your store?

Get customers to dream in your store
Get them to come back when they’re ready to make that dream come true.
Let’s recap how you can help those shoppers dream:

1) Vignette displays
Create small scenes in your displays to show shoppers how products work together.

2) Varied price points
Within your vignettes, use a variety of price points to attract a variety of
shoppers.

3) Visible pricing
Don’t hide your prices. Make the pricing visible, but attractive.

Get your shoppers to fall in love
Use these three steps together to woo them.
Give them the store they dream about.
And keep them coming back for more.

Recommended Product: Why Customers Aren’t Buying (And How To Fix It): The Pinwheel Principle

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Instead of an article this week, I’d like to get your input.
I want to create a space where Retail Tips readers can share ideas, challenges and success stories. It will also be a space where you can get some feedback on your store projects.

I’m working on how I can implement this on my website. It will take some time to get it set up. In the meantime, you can help shape what this space will look like.

How can you help?
There are two ways you can get involved:

1) Let me know what you think
2) Post your photos on my Facebook wall

1) Let me know what you think

Tell me if you like the idea of having a space to share about your store, post photos of displays and get feedback and suggestions.

If you don’t like it, what would be better?
What would you like to have in an online community of retailers?
What kind of merchandising and display help do you need?

How do you send me your thoughts?
1) Send me an email at: mmcintosh@inspire.ca
2) Comment on this blog post below.
3) Post your thoughts on my Facebook Wall here:

http://on.fb.me/inspire-fa​cebookpage
(You have to ‘Like’ the page to post comments)

2) Post your display photos on my Facebook wall

Post photos of your store displays or product presentation on the Inspire Retail Solutions wall.

 I’ll comment on each photo with:
1) One thing I love about your display
2) One suggestion to help your display be even more effective

How will you benefit?
You get:

• to share your store with others
• to see ideas from other retailers
• feedback on your displays and merchandising
•  AND a chance to win a free copy of the ebook the Pinwheel Principle: How to Increase Sales Without Slashing Prices (http://www.inspire.ca/products.htm)

All submissions will be entered into a random draw. The winner will receive access to download the Pinwheel Principle ebook.

Deadline to submit your photo for the draw: July 31, 2011 

NOTE: Photo must be of a store you own, manage or are employed at. You must have permission to share the photo.

How do you post pictures?

1) Like the page

First, you have to ‘Like’ the Melanie McIntosh – Inspire Retail Solutions page. That means click the ‘Like’ button at the top of the page.

But, what if I don’t want to ‘Like’ the page?
That’s OK. You can just email the photo to photo@inspire.ca. Send a description, your name and your store name with the photo. I’ll post in on my Facebook page for you.

2) Click the photo button at the top of the wall
http://on.fb.me/inspire-facebookpageThe Wall will look something like this:

See where it says ‘Photo’? Click on that link on the Facebook page.

Upload your photo. Use the text box to type in a description about the photo.

3) Click the ‘Share button
You’re done! I look forward to seeing your displays!

Here’s the link again to share your pics:
http://on.fb.me/inspire-fa​cebookpage

(And yes – I’m still working on that article about how to merchandise to help your customers dream! It’ll be posted next week.)

Recommended Product: Why Customers Aren’t Buying (And How To Fix It): The Pinwheel Principle

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At first, no one paid much attention.
The sisters ogling the netbook computers were seven and ten years old. No one thought of two little girls as customers.

Even though they had been coming to the store for four years with their dad. And every time they visited, they stopped to look at the tiny laptops displayed near the door.

Every visit, they dreamed about having their own computer.
The laptops were so small.
Just the right size for a kid.
But the laptops were just something the girls talked about.
And dreamed about.
For years.

But, this time the girls’ visit to the store was different
They’d learned to understand the prices. They could read the signs.
They realized if they put their money together, they could almost afford to buy themselves a laptop.

The girls found a sales clerk to help them. He asked them their price range, and recommended a laptop to suit them. He told them to come back on Boxing Day to get the best deal.

The girls were ecstatic
They went home and scrutinized their bank statements.
They saved their birthday money.
They emptied out their piggy banks, and counted out their coins.
They asked for a ride to the bank to withdraw money.

Finally, the big day arrived
Boxing Day.
The two sisters got their dad to take them back to the store.
They found their sales clerk.
And their laptop.
They paid for it.
And took home their very own computer.

How do you think they felt at that moment?
And where do you think they’ll shop when they buy their next computer?

You might have shoppers like these two little girls
Shoppers that love the your products, but don’t have the money to buy them. Yet. Shoppers who aspire to a lifestyle that at first they can’t afford.

The girls were aspirational shoppers
Aspirational shoppers could be anyone.
They could be young.
They could be starting out in their careers.
They may have young families.
They may be changing jobs.

They are shoppers who browse, but don’t buy.
They come back, time & again.
Maybe for years.

Until they save up the money for something special.
Or earn a little more.

Then they return to the store where they were treated well.
Where they browsed, and dreamed.
Where they imagined themselves with a new lifestyle.

What are you doing to court aspirational customers?
Are you frustrated because they’re ‘just browsing’?
Or are you helping them dream?

Recommended Product: Why Customers Aren’t Buying (And How To Fix It): The Pinwheel Principle

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A friend of mine, Ian, struggled with the washing machine he shares with his landlord. He went to do a load of laundry, and couldn’t get the washer started. So, he left the laundry until later, hoping that the next time he returned, the landlord would have the washer running.

Ian returned the next day. Still the washer wouldn’t start. After trying everything he could think of, he finally knocked on the landlord’s door. The landlord took one look at the washer and said, “With electrical appliances, it really helps if you connect them to the electricity.”

Washing machines need connection to electricity.
Stores also need connection to an energy source.

Customers are your store’s energy source
You need to draw customers into your store. But it’s tough to motivate shoppers to come into your store if you are ‘just a store’. If you’re putting products on the shelves and waiting for shoppers to come in, you’ll wait a long time. A few shoppers will trickle in.

You might have a great product, but that great product isn’t enough to get new shoppers into your store anymore.

What can you do to get shoppers in the door?
The more often customers visit, the more they buy.
The more time they spend in the store, the more they buy.

You want to get your store humming.
Buzzing with energy.
Customers milling around.
Browsing. Talking.
Spending time.

So, how do you get that energy? That buzz?

Connect.

Create a unique connection with your customers
Just inviting shoppers to connect will not attract them to your store. You need to create a unique reason for them to connect with you. A unique connection will get them to spend more time in your store. And they’ll visit more often.

But how do you come up with a unique reason for your customers to connect with your store?
There are three parts of your customer interaction where you can create a unique connection:

1) Experience
2) Engagement
3) Education

1) Experience
Offer an experience in your store that is different than your typical shopping trip. Treat your customers like guests in your home. Yes, it’s a bit of a cliché, but do you really act on it?

Try welcoming your customers in a way they don’t expect: take their coat, offer a glass of sparkling water and show them around. Get to know them personally and introduce them to each other. Act like you’re hosting a party in your store. Every day.

Customers learn that your store is not just a place to buy more stuff, but it’s a place that connects them to their community.

One coffee shop used red sleeves…
A local coffee shop helped singles connect for Valentines. They created red coffee sleeves that single customers could put on their coffee cups. The red coffee sleeves let other singles in the coffee shop know they were interested in meeting other singles.

Customers were able to connect with others in their neighbourhood. The red sleeves changed the usual coffee shop experience into one the customer would remember.

Your unique customer experience
Customers will enjoy a great experience in your store. If they enjoy it enough, they’ll be back again. They’ll tell some friends.

That’s all great. And will help keep your store buzzing in the future. But what about now? What if you need to get shoppers in the door right away?

That brings us to the next method to connect with customers.

2) Engagement
You want customers to be attracted, involved, loyal to your store. To get customers engaged, offer ways for them to get involved. One way to do this is to host clubs or groups on topics that are relevant to your customers.

Bookstores host book clubs and writers’ groups. Sports stores become a meeting place for runners, hikers and cyclists. Eco-conscious retailers can organize environmental projects for customers to participate in. Stores selling products for babies & children can host mom meet-ups, or groups for stay-at-home dads.

Engaging shoppers this way adds value to their experience in your store, and brings them in your door regularly. Engagement connects your store to the community.

You can add even more value to that connection by giving shoppers an opportunity to learn something new.

3) Education
Add value to your product with education. When you educate your customers, they’ll see your store as more than just a place to buy more stuff. Your store becomes a source of valuable information.

Offer education through seminars, workshops or classes. Don’t just stop at one class on a topic. Offer a series of classes on a topic that’s valuable to your customer. A series gets shoppers into your store more than once.

Not only do customers learn and shop, but they connect with other customers that share their interests. They get to know you better and are likely to tell their friends about you.

Art stores have scrapbooking classes. Hardware stores have do-it-yourself woodshop classes. A consignment fashion boutique offers workshops with a personal stylist. You can even go beyond classes to make education a focus of your business.

Lululemon excels in delivering shopper education
Lululemon is a Vancouver based yoga apparel company. Besides offering a schedule of yoga classes, and a well trained sales team, an entire section of their website is devoted to education. The website offers detailed information about the care and fit of the product.

But the education focus goes beyond the product. This is where the company really stands out from the competition. One section provides advice on goal setting and a free goals worksheet to download. Under the ‘yoga info 101′ heading is a comprehensive description yoga styles, what to wear, local yoga instructors and classes, and yoga videos.

Connect to your customers with education
They’ll see your company as more than ‘just a store’, and keep coming back for more.

Summary
You want to see your store humming.
So, plug in.
Connect.

Attract customers with connection by offering:

1) Experience
Create an experience in your store that stands out. Get people connected to each other.

2) Engagement
Get shoppers involved. Create a club.

3) Education
Help your customers learn more. Not just about your product.
Be more than ‘just a store’.

Just like a washing machine, your store needs to be plugged in. Connect with your customers.
And power up your shop.

Recommended Product: Why Customers Aren’t Buying (And How To Fix It): The Pinwheel Principle

During the 2010 Olympics, The Vancouver Art Gallery mounted a special exhibition. On display were Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings and studies of anatomy. The wait in line to buy exhibition tickets was over an hour. To view the pieces in the exhibition, viewers dealt with crowds of people, all trying to see the amazing sketches.

Art museums are retail
Museums sell to consumers.
They sell experiences.
They sell education.
And they sell merchandise.

And museum curators are masters of display.
Displays that attract customers. And not just any customers.
These displays attract committed customers.
Customers who put up with inconveniences for the chance to buy.

Why would viewers pay money to look at a display?
Why would they tolerate long lines and crowds?

And why would they pay even more money after the exhibit? When leaving the Da Vinci exhibition, viewers happily bought exhibition catalogues and merchandise featuring reprints of Da Vinci’s work.

Why was the exhibition so successful?
It’s easy to say that viewers flocked to the exhibition because Leonardo Da Vinci is an olympian of art, science and invention. And it’s true that even if the exhibition was poorly presented, the museum would still have sold some tickets.

But it’s the quality of the exhibit that made it so successful. Because viewers enjoyed the exhibition experience, they wanted to take their experience home with them. So they bought products. And told friends about the fabulous exhibition. The reputation, and ticket sales, of the exhibition grew.

What made the Da Vinci exhibition and products so desirable?
The Da Vinci exhibition employed techniques that work in retail displays as well as museum exhibitions. These three techniques create an engaging experience for customers. An experience that customers want to take home with them.

1) Connect with your customers
2) Tell a story
3) Make your product relevant

1) Connect with your customers
The first technique is to connect with the customer’s interests or desires. Something they already know about. Something they already desire.

Most people know at least a little about Leonardo Da Vinci. He’s admired around the world. The chance to see his sketchbooks up close, immediately connects with customer interest. Viewing this exhibition is recognized as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“But I’m not selling Da Vinci”
Yes, it’s easy to create a connection if you’re putting Da Vinci on display. But what if you don’t have such a universally admired product to promote?

You don’t have to sell Da Vinci.
You just need to have a product that your customers value.
Not all customers.
Your customers.
Just the customers who like what you do.
And how you do it.

The Da Vinci exhibition opened during the Olympics.
But the gallery curators didn’t try to attract all the Olympic visitors.
They didn’t have an exhibition about sports.
They set out to attract Olympic visitors who appreciated art.
They created an exhibition featuring an artist who had the qualities of an olympian.

To connect with your customers, you just need to know what interests them. After hooking the customer with an interest or desire they already have, a great display maintains that interest with a story.

2) Tell a story
A great display tells a story. It doesn’t just show the customer what they already know. It adds to the customers’ experience by telling them something new.

In the Da Vinci exhibition, each drawing had an interpretation. Just seeing the anatomical drawings in Da Vinci’s sketchbooks would have been interesting. At first. But viewers would soon get bored. Each sketchbook page was crammed with detailed sketches and notes. Notes that were written backwards, in mirror writing. In Latin. The average viewer wouldn’t have a clue what they were looking at.

The interpretive panels told the viewers the story of the sketchbooks. They described when the books were found, and they translated the notes. Viewers could understand the sketchbooks better because of the story.

In retail, story interprets merchandise for consumers. Without a story, a display is just a jumble of unrelated merchandise. When you tell a story, you can create themes for displays. Themes help you group relevant merchandise together. You can tell stories with merchandise and lighting alone, or you can use signs to help interpret the product for the customer.

Restoration Hardware is an excellent example of a company that recently reworked their business strategy to tell a new story. http://www.restorationhardware.com/ Their store displays and catalogue tell a strong story of re-interpreted antiques and old world Europe. It’s not a story that appeals to everyone. But their new story certainly sets them apart from competitors. And enthralls the customers they want to attract.

Not only do you need a story, but you need to make it relevant to your customers.

3) Make your product relevant
A great exhibition describes why the artwork or artifact is important. If viewers don’t know why it is important, they won’t be impressed by it. They may even be bored by what you have on display.

When viewers see the anatomy drawings by Da Vinci, they can appreciate the great technical drawing skill. But it is easy to take the drawings for granted at first. In the 21st century, we are familiar with drawings of anatomy. We have similar information available at our fingertips. At first glance, we may not realize how remarkable Da Vinci’s drawings were in the 16th century.

The exhibition described how incredible it was that Leonardo sketched from cadavers, without electric light, without refrigeration. No one had done this type of anatomical exploration before him. And no one else would discover that much about anatomy for another 300 years!

When viewers understand the relevance of Da Vinci’s work in his own time, they can appreciate just how incredible his work was.

When you describe why your product is relevant to your customers, that’s when they’ll understand it’s value. Let them know why the product is important.

Summary
Museum exhibitions attract customers that pay to see displays, and then buy museum products. They buy so that they can go home with a piece of the show. They want to take their experience with them when they leave. You don’t need to be an olympian, or sell Da Vinci to create great displays that sell. All you need to do is to use the techniques that exhibitionists use.

1) Connect with your customers
Connect with the customer’s interests or desires. Get their attention with something they already know and desire.

2) Tell a story
Maintain customer interest with a story. Use the story to engage and enthrall the customer.

3) Make your product relevant
Describe why your product is relevant to your customers. Let them know why the product is important. Relevance will demonstrate the product value to customers.

Museum exhibitions attract customers that pay to see displays, and then buy museum products. They buy so that they can go home with a piece of the show. They want to take their experience with them when they leave.

Create a museum experience with your displays. Give your customers a reason to take the experience home with them. A reason to buy your products.

Isn’t it time you created museum displays for your products?

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Some people have green thumbs.
I have black thumbs.
A potted plant in my hands gets a death sentence.

Not intentionally, of course. I love plants. But I struggle to keep them alive and healthy. I just don’t notice them. They’re in my peripheral vision, and I forget about them. Until it’s too late.

Your products can suffer a death sentence too
You know those places in your store where products languish and gather dust? Often it’s the bottom shelf. Products sit there, ignored by customers. The bottom shelf is like a product graveyard.

We tend to place products in horizontal rows along shelves. If we have an empty shelving unit with products, often we’ll fill it like we read. We start at the top left, filling the shelf across to the right. Then we fill the next shelf down. And so on, and so on. Now, we may not always start at the top. But it’s extremely common to fill horizontally across each shelf.

This is the habit that sentences your products to a slow death. You end up with products left on the lower shelves that no one sees. And no one buys.

Why don’t shoppers notice products on the lower shelves?
When product is merchandised horizontally, shoppers mostly see only what is at eye level. They scan the shelves by turning their head to the left or right, or by walking past. This leaves product on lower shelves ignored and unsold.

How can you save your products from this demise?
Shoppers are most likely to see merchandise that is presented between waist level, and eye level. Capitalize on this key selling area, and eliminate the death sentence by using vertical merchandising.

What is vertical merchandising?
Vertical merchandising means placing merchandise in vertical columns instead of horizontal rows.

What are the benefits of vertical merchandising?
Merchandising in vertical columns exposes more product options to shoppers. It makes it easier for them to see and compare product offerings.

Vertical merchandising also improves the appearance and organization of the store. A wide product selection can look messy and overwhelming to customers. Presented consistently in vertical columns, a a large selection will appear organized and easy to shop.

Example:
In the illustration below, the bottles of oils and vinegars are all presented vertically creating organized, attractive bands of colour. The shopper can scan across the entire selection at a glance.

The same selection is presented on each shelf, so the bottom shelf is not a graveyard of unseen products.

How do you use vertical merchandising?
As products sell from the upper shelf, lower merchandise needs to be moved up to fill the spaces. The upper shelves remain full and attractive. The blank spots that remain are on the lowest shelf, where they are not as noticeable. When new stock is received, it is filled in on the lowest shelf.

By rotating merchandise this way, the products sold first are the ones that arrived in the store first. Selling the oldest items first reduces the chances of products expiring, or sitting around gathering dust.

So, what are you waiting for?
Start merchandising your products in vertical columns. Make sure your customers can see what you have to offer, and get rid of the product death sentence.

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