Its stylish urbanarchitecture iscomplemental andwell-composed.Think about it.
•Wherecanweadd
value that worksor our brand?Aesthetics? Format?Merchandising? Service?
3. Connect consistently across allcustomer touchpoints.
It’s common or a retailer to underestimatethe number and importance o itstouchpoints. By studying the shopper journey rom awareness, to consideration,purchase and use, a strategic plan canbe created so the brand promise canbe consistently delivered across allthose moments. Best Buy ranks highon consistency. Its service oerings,selection and experience (in-store, onlineand in-home with The Geek Squad)continue to nd avor among surveyedconsumers. Consider these questions:
•Doweunderstandhowshopperschoose
and use our store?
•Arewedeliveringthesamemessage
and experience at all moments?
•Aretheregapsalongthecustomer
journey where we could advise,educate and inuence?
•Arethereunderutilizedtouchpointsthat
we could exploit?
•Dowethinkholisticallyorarewegetting
lost in tactics?
4.Driveinnovation.
One o the most disastrous eects o uncertainty is that operations
isemphasizedwhileinnovationgets
abandoned. That has not beenthe case with Burger King. BK, a maturebrand with a store design that wasbeginning to be perceived as tired, hasbeen able to grow in a troubled market.Their eorts are being helped by a new
upscaleprototypethatarchitecturalizes
the brand’s ame-grilled cachet with a veryeye-catching sleek design that instantlyconveys to the shopper what BK stands or.
FurtherinnovationcomesintheWhopper
Bar concept, an extension o the brandocused on the iconic burger and highlighting
the“HaveitYourWay”brandposition.
It takes BK to a new place in the customer’s
Growing Your Businessin Today’s Economy
Whetheryoufeeltherecoveryisimminent
or think the country won’t be back on its eetuntil next year, don’t wait out the economy.
Assessandtakeactionnow.Wendthat
many retailers have overlooked the ollowingve opportunities to leverage store assets tohelp business stay strong and grow prot.
1.Deliveronyourbrandpromise.
The best retailers have a clear idea o what they sell and how they sell it.
Theyhaveahighleveloforganizational
consistency and coherence and a clearvision o the uture. Every employeeknows what the promise is and how todeliver it. Think The Container Store.The store is your brand promise broughtto lie. To help keep a store at optimumprotability, the physical underpinnings o shoppers’ expectations need to be met, romthe parking lot to the cashwrap. That includeslack o clutter, in-stocks on key items, logicaladjacencies and a rational trafc ow.A weak structure signals broken promisesand sets a mood o doubt. Consumer surveyscontinually indicate that the majority o retailers have opportunity or improvementon delivery o brand promise. Ask yoursel:
•Cancustomerssayinonewordwhatwe
do or them that’s special?
•Haveweneglectedourlong-termvision
in avor o short-term instore tactics?
•Doweunderstandhowourbrand
is translated into the space?
•Shouldwedoastoreaudittogetaclearer
view o what could be improved?
2. Convey value beyond aspecic oering.
To have value beyond the item purchased,a brand must own a distinctive space inthe hearts and minds o its customers byconveying status, or helping people live betterby keeping prices low. Or by editing apparel sopeople can be ashionable. A store’sdesign helps speak to shoppers’ dreamsand aspirations by immersing them in asensory atmosphere.At its most undamental, Target is ull-linediscount store. It meets the needs o theeconomy-minded customer, a very rationalpractical benet. Its exceptional perormanceis based on its insight that middle-class momswant to be cool and have un. Target’s brandstrength as a curator o aordable style is sostrong it has to remind shoppers o itslow prices.mind and broadens its core demographics.
TheWhopperBarhastheabilitytostand
alone, become a hybrid concept, or adaptto a smaller ootprint, expanding the
“King’s”reachintonewopportunities.
Look or such an opportunity by asking:
•Wherecanwendthe“whitespace”
or innovation?
•Whereisourexecutionweak?•Arewerelyingtoomuchonmessaging,
not enough on physical improvement?
•Couldwedomorewithless?•Isthereanaturalextensionofour
brand that expands our market?
5. Build relationships with relevance.
In retail, like in lie, building and maintain-ing relationships is hard work. It requireskeeping tabs on the changing lives o thepeople your brand has targeted. Only whena business possesses a deep understandingo its customer wants and needs does ithave an opportunity to gain market share.The best way to build relationships withcustomers is to have the product that’s rightor them emotionally delivered in a relevantvalue-added way. Online retailer Zappossecretly upgrades its shipping to overnightwhenever possible. Trader Joe’s continuesto nd new, interesting inexpensive oods.Apple has dispensed with paper receiptsin avor o email receipts. Look throughthe shopper’s eyes:
•Howconvenientisittoshopwithus?•Wherecanwerefreshtheexperience
to encourage trial?
•Wherearetheopportunitiesforus
to be more relevant?
•Howcanwebuildloyaltyby“wowing”
our customers?
Don’twaituntilthedustsettlestoaudit
your store or opportunity. The kindso questions we oer here will get youcloser to an actionable insight that willdrive your business toward growth.
A Retail Publication
Ideations
Issue 3 • 2009
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