It’s a Saturday morning and a shopper decided earlier in the week that she wanted to purchase some new clothes. She perused the internet for some ideas, but went to the mall to enjoy the opportunity of browsing and trying on clothes before making her purchases.
When she arrived at the mall, she began her journey looking through the myriad of stores, most of which she was familiar with. Then it kind of hit her. What’s different? It seemed that all of the specialty fashion apparel stores had a promotion or sales event, so the prices were all comparable, depending on the purchase. The clothes were all so similar; she couldn’t differentiate between one brand or another. The shopper found herself in a dilemma, confused and somewhat overwhelmed. Within an hour, she decided to leave because she couldn’t make up her mind and decided to put the shopping off for another time, realizing that she didn’t need to buy anything new immediately.
Does this sound familiar? We can look at the all of the reasons why so many retail stores are doing less business today, such as less store traffic, greater competition and a rise in Internet sales. But one fact seems to be ignored: “Too many retailers do not give shoppers a reason to shop them.”
When I say give them a reason, I am not referring to the sale or promotion and I’m not talking about the latest and greatest technology. What I am stating is that many retailers, especially specialty fashion, are suffering from “sameness.” These retailers offer nothing to the shopper to make themselves stand out. Product and price are important, as is convenience. But the retailer needs to ask itself one simple question, “Why should a shopper shop you?” When answering the question, the retailer should avoid using cliché’s like we have the best price, the biggest selection or the best service. We all know the shopper has heard this so much that they simply tune it out because every retailer has said it for years.
To truly stand out as a retailer, be daring and challenge yourself to rediscover your business and find out what makes your business unique from your competitors. Build a campaign around it, promote it and keep the momentum going. Soon the shopper will look to you first because she or he will understand why they should shop you.
Art Suriano
When she arrived at the mall, she began her journey looking through the myriad of stores, most of which she was familiar with. Then it kind of hit her. What’s different? It seemed that all of the specialty fashion apparel stores had a promotion or sales event, so the prices were all comparable, depending on the purchase. The clothes were all so similar; she couldn’t differentiate between one brand or another. The shopper found herself in a dilemma, confused and somewhat overwhelmed. Within an hour, she decided to leave because she couldn’t make up her mind and decided to put the shopping off for another time, realizing that she didn’t need to buy anything new immediately.
Does this sound familiar? We can look at the all of the reasons why so many retail stores are doing less business today, such as less store traffic, greater competition and a rise in Internet sales. But one fact seems to be ignored: “Too many retailers do not give shoppers a reason to shop them.”
When I say give them a reason, I am not referring to the sale or promotion and I’m not talking about the latest and greatest technology. What I am stating is that many retailers, especially specialty fashion, are suffering from “sameness.” These retailers offer nothing to the shopper to make themselves stand out. Product and price are important, as is convenience. But the retailer needs to ask itself one simple question, “Why should a shopper shop you?” When answering the question, the retailer should avoid using cliché’s like we have the best price, the biggest selection or the best service. We all know the shopper has heard this so much that they simply tune it out because every retailer has said it for years.
To truly stand out as a retailer, be daring and challenge yourself to rediscover your business and find out what makes your business unique from your competitors. Build a campaign around it, promote it and keep the momentum going. Soon the shopper will look to you first because she or he will understand why they should shop you.
Art Suriano
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