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Why To Buy? Standing Out In The Retail Enviornment

Consumers are influenced everyday in multiple ways regarding why they buy and what they buy. Retailers are key players – for obvious reasons – in this impact on consumers. But so are friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, advertisements, media, celebrities and more. The catch is finding a way to survive the constant retail overload consumers experience so that your store can stand out among the rest.

For starters, sometimes less is more. Not everyone wants to wear the same shirt as other moms in the carpool lane. Therefore, not being some big name retailer can be to your benefit. Then again, most everyone these days likes a deal. So recognizing you need to be competitive to what the big stores are offering is key. This may mean offering loyalty programs to your shoppers. It may mean offering coupons and special events with discounts included. Or you could stand tall and be that store that never goes on sale. Your call. But be firm with your actions and voice them so that you are part of the retail marketplace in your community – loudly, not quietly.

Publicity involves more than just some fancy PR firm pitching you to the media. It involves you selling yourself, your business and your product in everything you do. It involves getting involved in the community so that you are seen outside of your business walls. It involves paying a few bucks every now and again to promote your business – hopefully in an effort to gain new clients. It involves you as the key step in standing out in the marketplace, so make sure it’s on your to-do list. Without it, your competition is sure to stand out among you.

Now there are always exceptions. Word of mouth can be a great way to gain and keep clients. Maybe good old fashioned customer service is all you need to keep the cash flow coming in. But remember that customers today are bombarded with information that pushes them in directions to buy lots of things… many of which you may offer but they don’t know about. The catch is capturing their attention so that their choice to buy ends up in your cash register. Not some other stores’.

Photo credit: Photo of men’s fine clothing retailer Haperdraper in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. 


Comments

  • Alexis Eyler
    April 16, 2011

    Good points – as a small business owner, it is definitely a balancing act. We recognize that we can’t always complete with big box retailers on price, but there are other things we can do that they can’t – or won’t. Customer service is a big one. Before I was a business owner, I remember how much I enjoyed walking into a local shop and being greeted by the owner – being remembered as a loyal customer. A big box might give you a fancy credit card, but it’s not as if they greet you by name when you walk in the door. But even the best customer service probably isn’t enough and figuring out additional ways to differentiate ourselves is a constant challenge.

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