Christmas retail experience strategy
A good December means a good year. It’s an old adage in the retail sector but it still rings true. Would we go as far to say that now a good “Black Friday” or a good “Cyber Monday” means a good year?
The pressure on retail organizations both big and small right now is incredible. At both ends of the spectrum marginal spikes in performance can mean the difference between success and failure. In simple terms, don’t mess it up at Christmas. Ok. Wheel out the metrics. Get the pricing spot on. Nail the promotion dates and obviously make sure your stock management is spot on.
The marketing world paints a beautiful image of Christmas where happy families take to snow tinged streets wrapped up in their comfy and colourful Christmas clothes laughing as they walk past the bright displays in the windows before breezing in to the overdressed store where they are greeted by the jolly doorman before they glide around the store choosing the gifts that will be perfectly wrapped and left under the idyllic tree in their log fire warmed house.
Imagine the anticipation when I set off this weekend with my wife and our young twins for our first Christmas shopping trip as a family. Suitably wrapped up we stepped out into the drizzle with our double stroller. C’mon it’s Dublin, you weren’t expecting snow were you? To be fair the city looked well and the it’s always nice walking down Grafton Street in December. I’ve always enjoyed that walk ever since we used to go into town and see the Switzers window as kids.
Grafton Street or “Grafton Quarter”?
The seasonal joy turns to stress and disappointment the second we actually decided to go into a store. Granted having a stroller the size of a small car doesn’t help the situation but it’s safe to say that at the time when I’m most likely to spend money the experience in tore is akin to a warzone. It’s impossible to navigate the skinny aisles, the poor staff are overworked and can’t possibly keep up the high standards that we expect and then there’s the queues at the till. I can’t tell you how many times we have left a store because it’s just easier to leave than stick around in the queue.
Why does the retail experience suck at Christmas? I’m not asking for perfection but surely we can make the experience a little better? Ignore the double stroller for a second as that’s a disaster at the best of times. I love when retailers recognize the queues are an issue and have retail staff with mobile scanners who can scan, charge for and detag gifts as they roam throughout the store. It works for Apple, why can’t it work for everyone else?
Then there’s the experience itself. Think about how you can look after the guests that come into the store (or into the mall space). What’s are the little things you can do to make the experience better? Could there be a wrapping station where I leave my gifts to be wrapped and collect them later or better still they can be collected in the car park? I don’t mind paying for the service but please try to understand that if I have a positive experience in December I will be back throughout the year.
I know that every square foot is crucial at this time of year too but think outside the box. Literally think outside your retail space. Can you offer an experience somewhere else? How about a pop up where you don’t sell and only offer an experience? Ok. Maybe you can sell a little but don’t make it the focus. Concentrate on offering an experience. And if a pop up is too expensive hand over some of that retail space and create a pop in. It works for Topshop, Bloomingdales and Primark. Can it work for you?
Take inspiration from those that are offering physical experiences despite only having a digital footprint. Look at what eBay are doing in the UK where they launched a city center “Home Grown” pop-up store where 36 retailers got the chance to showcase their products on the high street for the first time.
Don’t be afraid to try something different. Earlier this year, Benefit opened the "Just wing it chicken shop", inviting customers to munch on tasty wings while mastering the knack of "winging out your liner" to promote its new Roller Liner. Not something I know much about but I love how they brought the campaign together.
Last December, myself and my wife queued to go into FAO Schwarz. I know. We actually queued to get into a store. Madness. It actually wasn’t a chore as we knew that the experience would be remarkable. The queue served to regulate the crowd inside the store so the experience instore was more calm than we expected. There was an army of staff instore so we were well attended to. There were immersive experiences including magicians, kids entertainers and of course the famous big piano. All were accessible and didn’t feel cramped or crowded. We went for the experience and we left with the gifts we didn’t even know we needed. I already can’t wait to go back with our kids when they are old enough. I would encourage all retailers to visit the store to see how you can create a little Christmas magic in your store next year.