On the offensive
Well, from my angle, the sky is not falling for the brick-and-mortar retail industry — at least, not yet. How do I know? I spent two solid weekend days in two different malls and three supermarkets a few weeks ago. I expected the malls to be crowded, but what I found were businesses that were overloaded with shoppers, cash registers humming and a general feeling among the store operators that things were good. For a moment, at least, I felt I was back in 1997.
First, I had to park a football field or two away from the buildings, and when I finally got in, the places were packed with people and, trust me, they were not just sightseeing or people-watching. They were walking around buying products, made clearly evident by the number of consumers with shopping bags in their hands at the mall and the crazy checkout lines at the food store.
This was not the week before Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was in mid-March in suburban New Jersey where the outside temperatures hovered around 50 degrees.
Let’s be clear: The digital era is here to stay, and these online retailers will gain their fair share of sales from consumers who are either looking for a great deal, too lazy to get off the couch or simply surfing the web. Plus, Amazon and others are making it very easy for consumers to shop their sites.
But traditional retail has its advantages, too. The big one is that people do not want to simply sit in their homes in front of a computer buying products, no matter what the advantages are. They want to go out and they want to go shopping to see what is new, what is hot and, yes, what other people are wearing and buying. We have heard a lot about the coming death of the American shopping mall. Perhaps only the poorly operated ones with few amenities are really dying.
As we enter the final day of NACDS Annual Meeting here in Palm Beach, Fla., perhaps it is time that our industry officials at this show recognize that there is still a lot to be gained out in the marketplace. The economy is humming along nicely and, hence, most consumers are in the mood to shop and buy.
Let’s stop being on the defensive and go on the offensive.
Consumers want to go to your store. But you have to do your part, which means a combination of carrying the right merchandise at the right price and in a convenient, clean environment. Just as importantly, it means that retailers need to make their stores more exciting to the shopper.
Putting merchandise on store shelves — even at great price points — does not work anymore. That is even true for the titans of our industry, some of which built their entire business model on low prices. Now, it has to be an experience for the shopper that entertains them as they shop, and makes them feel that the retailer is pulling out all the stops to get them as much information as possible about categories and individual products.
Take the right steps, and shoppers will keep coming back to the stores they know so well. Make a few hiccups, and these same people may look to another place for their needs. The onus is on the retail world.
First, I had to park a football field or two away from the buildings, and when I finally got in, the places were packed with people and, trust me, they were not just sightseeing or people-watching. They were walking around buying products, made clearly evident by the number of consumers with shopping bags in their hands at the mall and the crazy checkout lines at the food store.
This was not the week before Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was in mid-March in suburban New Jersey where the outside temperatures hovered around 50 degrees.
Let’s be clear: The digital era is here to stay, and these online retailers will gain their fair share of sales from consumers who are either looking for a great deal, too lazy to get off the couch or simply surfing the web. Plus, Amazon and others are making it very easy for consumers to shop their sites.
But traditional retail has its advantages, too. The big one is that people do not want to simply sit in their homes in front of a computer buying products, no matter what the advantages are. They want to go out and they want to go shopping to see what is new, what is hot and, yes, what other people are wearing and buying. We have heard a lot about the coming death of the American shopping mall. Perhaps only the poorly operated ones with few amenities are really dying.
As we enter the final day of NACDS Annual Meeting here in Palm Beach, Fla., perhaps it is time that our industry officials at this show recognize that there is still a lot to be gained out in the marketplace. The economy is humming along nicely and, hence, most consumers are in the mood to shop and buy.
Let’s stop being on the defensive and go on the offensive.
Consumers want to go to your store. But you have to do your part, which means a combination of carrying the right merchandise at the right price and in a convenient, clean environment. Just as importantly, it means that retailers need to make their stores more exciting to the shopper.
Putting merchandise on store shelves — even at great price points — does not work anymore. That is even true for the titans of our industry, some of which built their entire business model on low prices. Now, it has to be an experience for the shopper that entertains them as they shop, and makes them feel that the retailer is pulling out all the stops to get them as much information as possible about categories and individual products.
Take the right steps, and shoppers will keep coming back to the stores they know so well. Make a few hiccups, and these same people may look to another place for their needs. The onus is on the retail world.