The Top 3 Changes in Retail That You Must Respond To

If you are doing retail the same way that you did it even 2 years ago, then you are falling behind.  There has been a fundamental shift in each of the three core areas of retail: inventory, marketing and team.  If you want to get ahead with increasing sales, you must have a strategy.

For decades, the way we would buy was to look at a line and order some items in a couple of different sizes and colors.  Let’s use the example of a bath and body line.  You would look at 7 scents.  Each scent was made in 8 different product and 4 of the products had various sizes.  So you chose 3 scents and did different products from a couple of them and chose some different sizes.  The total number of skus was 15 and you bought 3 of each for a total of 45 items.  That is called “wide and shallow” assortment buying.

Now to maximize your profits and consumer demand, you should be buying “narrow and deep”.  You hear the word ‘curated’ often.  People can shop online and get the whole line but you have carefully chosen the best of the best.  Commitment like this makes it easier to keep the best sellers in stock and it makes a better merchandising statement.  Handling the product training is easier too.To use the same example, you could still pick 3 scents but you would only order 2 or 3 products from each.  Those would be ordered deep.  The total number of skus is 9 and you would order 5 of each.  Also you would react fast to slow movers.

Marketing has changed dramatically.  Products don’t sell. There isn’t that much ‘new’ any more – except for at Apple Stores.  Stories sell.   Your customers want to know why they should care about you and your merchandise.  Look at Tom’s.  They are shoes with a story.  When you give them a reason to care, they will loyally support you.

Finally, no longer do you have salespeople as employees.  In fact you shouldn’t have any employees.  You have a team.  You are the coach.  Your job is to touch their unique ability and use it for good.  Your job is to keep them all working their genius and collaborating on making your store bigger and better than you could ever do on your own.

Contributed by Cathy Wagner of RETAILMavens, who wants you to join her and experience a Retail Profit Revolution! 

Our Retail Profit Revolution is a 3 day event held on September 15-17, 2015, that will change your retail life for sure.  You will learn so much and leave with an implementation plan so that you can be sure of taking action.  We have got it all taken care of for you! The ticket price right now is $797.  You spend that much on a vendor just hoping to make it back.   But if you are one of the first 5 action takers who are committed to getting different results in their stores, I want to honor that by gifting a FREE ticket to you,” shares Wagner.

Learn more at www.retailprofitrevolution.com.