myRetailer.ca

Give a little extra to your customers and make them feel special, and you’ll gain loyalty and increase the value of your product offering.

Most of us have experienced at the end of a concert, when the audience is shouting – “Encore, Encore, Encore…” and the band comes back out to play one or two more songs. This is actually done so much, it’s expected. But do you remember the first time you experienced that moment? I remember thinking that – “Wow, this band really likes playing for our crowd. They must really like us.” In the end, it made me feel lucky and special. (more…)

How can you expand margins, while staying competitive? It’s not easy, but it is possible.

Pricing is such a huge issue for any business owners and retailers. How come customers can walk into a multi-national chain store and not even question their pricing? We can’t necessarily compete with the pricing that many multi-nationals can offer, but there are things we can do to help our perception in the public eye.

(more…)

Being the first business your customers visit, won’t guarantee success, but it will give you a huge advantage. Give your customers a reason to keep you top of mind.

On a recent trip through wine country in southern Ontario, my wife and I took one day and visited a few of the wineries in the Niagara region. Our day started with a visit to Reif Estate Winery. There, a wine connoisseur spent time with us learning what we liked and disliked, explaining the different wines and providing some samples. We enjoyed his expertise, his passion for the wines and his willingness to help us out and proceeded to buy several bottles of wine prior to leaving for our next stop.

(more…)

I was traveling with my wife last weekend in Niagara On The Lake, when we stopped at a beautiful little garden centre on the way into town. I was pleasantly surprised by the creative displays that the staff at Regal Florist and Garden Centre had on display.

Regal is owned and operated by Darrell Boer and his partner. They’re famously known for their flower shop and their quality cut flowers, as well as their garden centre where they specialize in different and unique products for their clients. Within a very short drive, Regal has more competitors than I care to think about. However, the company has been able to compete successfully by carrying unique product lines not carried by their competitors, and by their merchandising that has allowed them to expand successfully into new categories.

(more…)

What do ice cream cones and butterflies have in common? Nothing, but that hasn’t stopped me from combining them in my small lawn and garden centre to create a unique shopping experience. We sell ice cream cones, and lots of them. Our butterfly conservatory attracts customers who would otherwise never set foot in a home and garden store.  We barely break even on the ice cream, and generate no direct revenue from the butterfly exhibit.  But both increase foot traffic to our store and win the influence of children and spouses who aren’t typically interested in shopping for flowers or gifts.

(more…)