Open the shop door and wait for the customers to come in, retailing is easy! Some retailers think this is all you have to do, alas, it is not like that. Retailers have to be proactive in their community if they are planning to be in the business for the long term.

Technological change is moving at a rapid rate, if you don’t keep up, your consumers will leave you behind. Now the bad news, you will not keep up. The rate of change is so rapid that no body is capable of keeping up. Researchers tell us the amount of new information and technology available to the world will be double this year alone.

The challenge is that you cannot ignore change. If you ignore the change, you are going to fall that far behind that you will never catch up.

Be Focussed
As a retailer you need to focus on the change that will affect how the consumer wants to communicate with your business. Take one step at a time, master one new idea and then move onto the next one. To try and learn all the new tools available to you.

The challenge is to analyze your existing marketing, to really look at what’s working at what’s not. To disinvest in the old technology that is not working, but to keep investing in the systems that are working.

You now have to become familiar with social networking. For some of you, your will already be communicating with friends on Twitter, Facebook and other sites. It is a relatively simple step to take to move into business and marketing social media. For others of you it is a giant step. You have to communicate using completely new technology. But, it is a step that you will need to take.

In the past fear existed with the telephone, typewriter, television and radio. They were the social network for past retailers. The challenge of using them in business was great to retailers when they were invented as social media is to some retailers today.

A retailer recently said to me that he did not use social media as he did not understand how it worked. I have to own up. I do not know how my car, mobile phone and A380 plane works, but I use them. Social media is the same. It is just another way of communicating.

The Aim of this E-book
The aim of this e-book is to start you on a journey. It will not tell you how social media works. It will explain how you can start using it. It will give you the confidence to start the journey. I hope after six months you’ll look back at this book and say that you have moved on and will be looking at further advanced books.

Recorded: 8th June 2010, 1200 GMT

Want to generate more sales per square metre or foot of retail space? You need the power, the power to merchandise and make a difference. The good news is that you can increase sales without spending a cent simply by relooking at the way you put stories together for your customers via your merchandising and display strategies.

Watch this 60 minute e-training workshop with John Stanley to find out how.

(more…)

When small local businesses talk to each other great things happen.

As many of you will be aware I am a great fan of networking in retailing. Let me give you two great ideas from the south west of Australia.

Let’s start with the Margaret River tourist board who are working with retailers on “The Cash Cow”. This is focused on the town of Cowaramup. The tourist board has developed a quiz based around the cow and a cow map. 85 life size cows designed by 100 artists have been scattered around the south west.

(more…)

Gloria Jean’s is an Australian Coffee company and I like the way they tell a story.

Marketing is changing and Gloria Jeans have managed to communicate their story very effectively in their adverts.

Take a look at the promotion advert:

1. It has a “grabbing” headline
2. Promote their sustainability message
3. Sell their expertise
4. Promote the bean to cup journey
5. Tell you they are global

And they do this in 50 words!

What a great advert that we can all learn from.