When is it TIME to innovate?

I've just returned from the Albury BMI week where I ran a workshop on Innovation.

On the morning of the workshop, I drove down Dean Street and noticed the town clock, in the iconic building on the corner of Kiewa Street, was stuck on 3pm. You know a regional centre has stopped thinking about its future when the clock has stopped and the battery not changed! 

I challenged my group on this point and an innovative concept.

With a population of around 60,000 there is a massive opportunity to build something better when it comes to retail and the regional experience.

I boldly suggested that they put a roof over Albury and rebrand it 'Albury One dot com.' There were looks of dismay. Their brains were thinking one way, and mine, another.

Not corrugated iron roofing I suggested, which was the conclusion they all clearly jumped to. A brand, a destination, an experience, a performance I explained. 

See, I believe their shopping precinct has lost it's mojo. It has turned into rows of shops with stuff on shelves with nice flower pots and speed humps as the attraction.

Shopping should be a performance, an experience of the senses. It should be like poisonous gas! It should make you clammy, cry, laugh, sweat, run, stop and drop. Albury needs to rethink it's retail purpose. 

Create an environment like Disneyland where everything they do in the magic kingdom is a performance. As 'Albury One dot com' the hundreds of retailers in Albury/Wodonga could leverage their marketing spend, logistics expense, website presence, training and supply chain. They could align themselves into categories like a Chadstone or Highpoint West shopping centre. Once that was done they could then entertain attracting customers to the value, not just the product. They need to  develop innovative ways to attract people to experience their shops again. Create clever events, entertain, engage customers and bring back the pizazz so sorely missed in retail today.

Think about it. Why do you really go to a restaurant? For the food? Be honest, you go for the experience. To catch up with friends, to laugh, to share and to engage the senses. Food is a given. The problem is most owners of restaurants charge for food only which demonstrates they think they are in the food business when they really should be in the entertainment business. There is no competitive advantage in selling just stuff.

It's time to change the clock Albury.

Boiler

When the Red, Red, Robin of Customer Service Stops Bop, Bop, Bopping Along!

I've just spent a day in Brisbane coaching a Sales Cat in the field. This company sells into retail so I spent a lot of time in Northern Brisbane shopping centres. About 20 days out from Christmas, I had mixed expectations of the day. Kids, mums with babies in Santa’s arms did come to mind!

But something far more sinister became blatantly clear as the day rolled on. If retail selling and customer service continues down this path a much larger online Armageddon will result. 

Shop after shop, stocked to the ceiling, poorly laid out and lacking any good or helpful displays. Grumpy, dismissive staff, too busy to serve let alone notice you've entered their store. 

“Sale”, “Discount”, and “Reduced” signs of panic and desperation are everywhere, accompanied by the wails of “the internet and economic environment is to blame”… Bullshit!

Sure these factors are having an effect but they are not to blame. Not recognising the one clear sustainable competitive advantage of the bricks and mortar retail store – customer service – is crippling them more so.

In one day I observed many young, untrained staff doing ‘their job’. That’s right, their jobs! Stacking shelves, collecting orders, panicking and being busy. Rarely did I see anyone openly ‘engage’ customers to persuade, develop and encourage emotional or at least inspirational purchasing. 

Modern retailing requires them to do more than just their jobs. They have to ask questions, care, and be present in the moment. Be cheerful, energetic and most of all proud and enthusiastic about the brand’s store. Just give a !@#% would be a start!

While sitting at The Coffee Club I decided to prove a theory to my trainee. Across from us was a store named Robins Kitchen. 

“Let’s see what happens if I walk into that store shall we,” I said, and to his enjoyment, did!

I walked in, walked around and passed the counter twice!

Past four staff with no response!

I did another loop with still nothing!

I walked out and towards my now gasping with shock observer.

Robins Kitchen with its impressive store layout, cool products and Red Robin brand was not bopping along. It is heading for a very cold winter.

The point of my test.

If all you do is stack ‘stuff’ on shelves in one of Westfield’s halls and offer no service without any element of customer orientation or care the internet will win every time, without fail!

If all customers need to do is buy then the shoppers in us will stay home and purchase online. Shoppers want help, care, smiles, product knowledge, and guidance, to be engaged by well-trained and happy people. I hope Robins Kitchen reads this and adapts first!

Boiler!!

What customers?

I read with interest in the latest BRW Magazine the ever growing pain in retail due to the 'sudden' rise of the internet. Sudden?

I also watch with interest as retailers continue to stick to old ways of doing business, become highly irritable, like it's our fault, and resort to being extremely annoyed with the world.

It is clear that if you 'wait' for the economy to pick up, the implications of a carbon tax or the internet to change, then you will disappear as quick as change happens. You must get on the front foot now!

Look at this great example http://fiveminutetheatre.com/. Traditional theatre is attractive to a narrow band of audience who can afford it or love it. Dress up at home, go out, glass of champagne and black tie etc. In Scotland, to attract a broader audience, an amazing concept has been developed where five minute theatre is conducted in the cities over a 24 hour period to contact a wider audience. Lots of critics " It will never work" and lots of people blocking. Guess what – a roaring success and highly acclaimed by the critics, well done.

What did it take? Creativity, energy and resilience just like the Sales Cat.

Tips, traps and trips.

If you are going to survive in modern retailing you need to engage and build value based relationships now. Who are your tribe and what do they get from the retail experience with you? Do you have data on your customers? Do you know where they live what they like? Get to know them and what they need in life to be better. Like all relationships spend time getting to know them. Start a blog with them.

Smile and greet! Yes I know a basic but how often do you get an angry, don't bother me I'm busy response? Every week for the past 12 months I go with friends to a conveniently located coffee shop. They still don't know our names, we don't know theirs even though we sit in the same place every week and order the the same thing. Will they notice when we go for a better relationship or better coffee? Who would they call if we did?

Please get to know your customers and their specific stories fast before the internet gets to know them better than you and takes their business away.