RETAIL CITY OF THE MONTH, BORDEAUX, A WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

                                                                                                                                                            

BORDEAUX, HISTORICAL RETAIL CAPITAL OF THE SOUTHWEST OF FRANCE.





www.bordeaux-tourisme.com




COMING UP....

WEEKLY RETAIL PRESS RELEASE, IKEA GOES HOTEL.

IKEA GOES INTO THE HOTEL BUSINESS.

THE MOXY HOTELS.

What has been a rumor, has been confirmed.  Retail giant IKEA, starts its hotel adventure.  

A joint venture between IKEA (via its Inter Hospitality company) and hotel chain group Marriott, are planning to open around 150 budget 3star Moxy hotels around Europe (with UK, Germany and Scandinavia as key markets), focusing on the increasing young travelers market.  Each hotel will have around 150 to 300 rooms, build up in a low budget assembly and construction way and presenting a modern design look, but low budget price concept.

The first hotel will open its doors in Milan around 2014, while all mayor European capitals will follow...

moxyhotels.com








Have a look inside....

Good to know,...the hotels will not have the IKEA logo nor be decorated with the typical IKEA furniture.

SENIOR CONSUMER RETAILING, A MARKET FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES.

THE SENIOR MARKET IS BOOMING,...DONT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY....











For those retailers, looking for new opportunities, markets or concepts,....we like to talk you about one of the fastest increasing markets,...the senior consumer group.  It has been proven (according to a study of the European Community, that each year, the senior market is increasing by 2 million people, achieving around 2060, a 30% of the total EU community).  
We are in front of a huge potential group of consumers, with interesting big spending possibilities and time availability to buy or consume.
While most of retailers, try to focus their strategy on the young, fashionable, trendy and very technology oriented consumer, buying fast rotating cheap fashion items, there are tremendous opportunities to capture this older group, looking for quality, long life and mostly more expensive items.

As mentioned in previous posts, today, to be successful, you have to stand out, of the crowd, being different.  Here you have the possibility....why not tackle the senior market and specialize your store into above segment...

However, as in all consumer segments, we need to see the reality.  Today, the senior market is not any more, what we sometimes have in mind and its habits, needs and ways of thinking are changing very rapidly, adapting to the todays reality.  A clear analysis is needed before starting.

We face a tough, well informed and prepared, very savy consumer, who has seen it all and know it all, putting them self continuously in doubts,..if they really need this know? 
As in all groups, there does not exist an homogenous group of senior consumers, but various age groups, from 55 to 95 years, divided by its cultural values, eduction, employment and social class situation.

Imagine you run a gym,..so why not organize special gym exercise classes for the above consumer group...

To be successful, you will you haven to adapt your store, products and or services to their needs and desires. Lets analyze them...

*Be patient, as above clients do prefer a personal service.  So well trained staff and eventual some senior sales person, working in your store. (will create more empathy between consumer and staff)

*A clean and well organize shop and or product presentation.

*Easy access to the products in the store and clear, clean and easy to read price tags and product information.

*Older customers like to be greeted, when entering in your store,....try to feel them easy going and important.

*Older consumers DO know how to manage internet or the latest technology, (it has been proved that it is the fasted growing internet user group)...so be aware of it, when trying to contact them.

*There is general change and perception of viewing senior consumers as active important market,..so you marketing message should be optimistic, energetic and transmitting or creating active life expectations to themselves.

*Adjust your interior decoration and lighting. (ex. a to strong lighting can give wrong color perceptions)

*Well presented and clear product groups, presented on an easy to catch level.

As you can see, a lot of work to do,...

In order to transmit your message, make use of the existing local social senior clubs, associations and eventual state or government social, medical, funding and prevention programs,...creating your client base. 
Have a look to enclosed presentation....with Dick Stroud, to learn a little more about a quiet complex market and what to know or consider before, when starting, to tackle above market.

For those, who have seen new opportunities, we like to recommend you, to read a very interesting book, called 'MARKETING TO THE AGEING CONSUMERS' from Dick Stroud and Kim Walker.
Have a look to this  book and just ordered it.  

You will learn a lot, how to make from this already existing fast increasing senior retail market a very successful business.
Have a look to this interesting explaining video.


So,..just tap into this Boomer Market......don't loose your time.


                                                

     The fasted growing internet user group...

10 REASONS YOU, RETAILER, SHOULD SELL ONLINE.

OR WHY WE SHOULD START USING THE MULTICHANNEL STRATEGY....

Probably you have considered it,..you have heart about it,...or just still have doubts, if E-commerce is compatible with your typical retail business. Will it not harm your sales in your store?..Will you not compete with your own traditional sales channel? What about your sales people?..What kind of price levels, you have to use? 

As you can see, a lot of questions and doubts,...but believe me...E-commerce is the future and there is no way back, than to the multichannel business. 

Here you have 10 reasons, why you should not hesitate any more and just start your own online store:

*As you have already a store, you have already an existing working operation with a number of fixed operation costs like warehouse space, electricity, staff, etc... .  The use of an E-commerce business implement a setup or creating cost and a yearly management fee, nothing else.  So, by using your existing shop operation as showroom and or warehouse,...you can generate more sales, using the same operation costs.

*You will be able to increase your clients, using the online shop as window and creating more visibility of you existing physical store.  It has be confirmed, that consumers who have seen a campaign online, often buy directly into your store.

*You will create a direct link with your possible consumers, using an actual and similar form, the way they are using.  Do not forget,..follow the consumers trends...be on-line.

*By using E-commerce, you will be using the latest tools like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and blogs in order to interact with your consumers.

*Always see, what your competitors are doing,..are they in internet,...do not miss the boat....be there...

*By using E-commerce, you will start to benefit of scale economy, as having an extra channel to sell you products in stock.

*You will be able to captivate new clients, especially young consumers groups, who maybe never should have visit your store before.

*You will be able to create groups and, or associate your business to similar or related webs,blogs, or collective group voucher companies, like Groupon,... with the end result, more brand and store knowledge and eventually a sales increase.

*E-commerce is worldwide business,...so no geographical limits.  You just can sell everywhere. 

*Probably, the fasted and most increasing business opportunity of the world,...more and more, we will buy through the E-commerce channel.

So, dear retailer, as you can see,..you just have nothing to loose,..invest into a good E-commerce web and tackle the market. Be on the top and a retail trendsetter. Your existing shop and organization can function as your showroom, office and or warehouse.

So, just do not loose this fantastic opportunity......

COMING UP NEXT WEEK:

HOW AND WHAT TO CONSIDER, WHEN SETTING UP THE RIGHT WEBSITE.

MARKETING TOOLS FOR YOUR SALES POINT

WEEKLY MARKETING IDEAS, TO IMPLEMENT INTO YOUR STORE.

PARAMETER 2: THE POINT OF SALE ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR. 






In this part, we are going to tackle the interior of the store.  Today, your shop should transmit your company message, your strategic and or marketing plan.  So, not just 4 walls, counter and nothing more...., but organized, structured and designed the way,..it will give you the optimum sales results, transmitting at the same time your  brand image and create the right memorable emotions to your clients.  
De outlook of your store interior, should be organized, the way it is easy, logical and comfortable for your clients to shop, but also easy for you and your team, to operate respecting above emotions.
We can divide parameter 2, the store interior into various key elements...

The store access:

We can divide the store access into 3 sub elements,... the dimension, the materials and the door location.
Let analyse them....
Probably the most important and significant elements of the interior architecture, as it is the first contact where your client will initiate its possible sales experience.  So, very important, that the entrance always allows easy access, that the store access is not complicated and that it invites and motivates the possible consumer to enter easily.  We recommend to have the doors always open.  (depending the existing laws on product obligations and season conditions, you can install the typical air door ventilation systems)

Also the used materials of your door entrance, have to be light, safe, easy to open and transparent, in order to make it easy to use and invite the client to go into your store.  It is clear that the selected materials, colors and designs, should be in line with your concept or message , you want to transmit.

The right door location, is vital, as it has been proven, that it is of strategic importance and a key to have  commercial success, to have the entrance on the exact place.  Lets see why...
The store access, is the beginning of the tour that the consumer will start to initiate.  By guiding the client, along a inside shopping path, you will be able to make it very easy to the client, to see all your product groups.  It has been proven, that clients, when entering into a store, have the tendency to go to the center of your store, by turning than, always to the left side and following the patch and moving to the right,..So, if possible, just have your main entrance always at the right side of your store.

Lets start now analyze the division of the store surface.  We can divide it into 5 areas:
- the hot area: the part of the store, where most people walking or passing. (ex. the main central passage)
- the cold area: the rest of the store, with less people or transit, due to its bad access or store situation.
- the hot points into a specific area:  the parts of a specific hot area who are creating a lot of traffic or of great importance.
- the cold points into a specific area: the parts of a specific cold area, who are creating less traffic.
- the natural hot area of your store: an area of the store, which is by itself an important part (ex. the entrance, the main path and the part where people are paying).  Mainly, we will find this more into smaller stores.  It is important that the natural hot area,  connects the entrance, with the various hot areas into the store, allowing also to reach the cold areas, creating more flow of people with an eventual sales increase.

Example store planning City Supermarket.

In order to have an excellent store format and sales result, it is important that the hot points of your store should be at least 10% of your shopping area, while the cold points should not represent more than 10% of your store area.  When planning your store interior, it is important to optimize the hot areas instead of the cold areas.  However, this depends mostly on the existing access or entrance doors, the kind and size of the sales surface (ex.a rectangular store surface is always easier) and if exist eventual different floor levels. (ex. if a store has 3 levels, the ground level floor is the hot area, the basement mainly the very cold area and the first floor a less but cold area.
So when analyzing your existing store and or evaluating an eventual new store location,...always have in mind, that the existing or possible hot area should dominate, in order to create more traffic into your store.

Example of high traffic or hot areas in store.

We will now talk about the layout and the design of the store surface.  We can divide it into the border perimeter, the central perimeter and the shop counter.

- The border perimeter: allows you to present the products alongside the border of your store.  It has to permit you to have a good a good product presentation and an easy to-use or adaptable system, in line with you store image and or corporate commercial layout. 

- The central perimeter, allows you to present the goods into the central part of the store.  Avery important perimeter, as, in function of the position and the used kind of presentations, you will be able to increase your sales turnover.  Good to know, that the corners of the central perimeter of the main access and or store path (with the most traffic) are very required by big consumer brands, willing to pay up to high renting fees to have this store space reserved.  Like above, the used materials have to be easy to adapt and allow a good product presentation.  And in line with your corporate commercial image. 

-The shop counter: the counter location into the store is of vital importance, as it will allow you to control the consumer flow and the time clients are into your store, with the final result, buying more.  Always important, next to its main function, controlling the entrance and its advisory role, the counter should always be place on a strategic place, with the purpose to maintain the consumer flow the much time possible, allowing more sales possibilities.  However, the size of your store, often has an influence 
on the above.  Try to locate your counter always in a colder area of the store, instead of the hot area, as it will take more time to consumers to leave your store. 

Example of the importance of the perimeters of a supermarket with fresh food.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION...

CAMPER, OR HOW TRENDY SHOES FROM MALLORCA, CONQUER THE WORLD....

MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF TRENDY WALKING EXIT....THE STORY BEHIND...





www.camper.es



COMING UP......

DO NOT MISS OUR COPENHAGEN SPECIAL,...

Just surf to our archive of the 29/01/2013, to read all about Copenhagen, the creative retail city.