Retail Observer

Call today for a FREE Quote! Delivery Truck Graphics • Vehicle Wraps Window Graphics • Wall Graphics • Floor Graphics More EYES = More BUYS!! TruckSkin.com 877-866-7546 We Install Nationwide! Advertise BIG!...Use your trucks RO The way Strategic Decisions analyzes public perception is to focus on four different customer segments. The first is the customer that wants to buy what you have, but doesn't know you exist. The second is the customer that knows who you are but have never shopped with you. Then there are the customers who have shopped with you but never purchased anything, and finally, the customers who have actually purchased from you. "By analyzing a market in that way, we help the retailer develop a picture of who they are within that market," says Wight. "From those who have shopped in the store, we strive to get the most recent shoppers to get the best reflection of what is happening at the moment, not six months ago." Ascertaining which customers have shopped or not purchased can be as simple as capturing shopper info by having them sign up for a monthly drawing in the store while they are browsing. After analysis, one BrandSource retailer was told that the company's name, which contained the phrase "Home Center," was a big deterrent to potential customers. Some people surveyed didn't know what he sold at all; others thought he specialized in plumbing and home improvement wares. Wight simply recommended that he put bullets under his signage to point out that he sold appliances and furniture. According to Wight, it's also about identifying the "ideal" customer and learning why you aren't capturing that ideal customer. "Once you know your target customer you have to learn why your target customer isn't attracted to your store," he said. Wight helped another BrandSource dealer understand that he was wasting a big opportunity because the back of his store faced a major freeway, yet the signage on the freeway was not enough to bring people in. It wasn't being maximized. Meanwhile, the retailer had extra space to store items that he wanted to take off his showroom store, but Wight pointed him in the direction of using that space as a Clearance Center to attract a new kind of customer. Once you understand who you are, you can hone your advertising and marketing efforts. For example, if you are competing with a big box store, why not market yourself as the "local town store," who supports the local little league? These subtle differentiators can make all the difference when it comes to your reputation within the community. The biggest challenge, however, is attracting a new type of customer. "I had one client who finally came to me and said he needed to work with us because more and more of his customers were appearing in the obituaries rather than the birth announcements. He needed to attract a younger client base," says Wight. Indeed, the young customer who is used to shopping at Pottery Barn or IKEA is elusive, but with the right type of positioning and adjustments, you can get there. Michael Allen, BrandSource VP of home furnishings, has been with the organization for 15 years and overseen the growth of the category to one of the largest in the country.

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