{"id":10192,"date":"2019-08-07T08:30:23","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T14:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.retailsystem.com\/cz\/?p=10192"},"modified":"2019-08-07T08:45:16","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T14:45:16","slug":"what-is-your-retail-personality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.retailsystem.com\/cz\/blog\/what-is-your-retail-personality\/","title":{"rendered":"What is your retail „Personality“?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"If you spend any time within marketing forums or groups; you are sure to hear someone talk about personalization. The act of making or tailoring marketing efforts to \u201cspeak\u201d to or \u201cconnect\u201d intimately with an intended audience. This can be very powerful if done right. But it is also ripe for blunders. Think about it \u2013 if a message really resonates with you based on a need or desire or purpose or \u201cseason\u201d; extremely impactful. Mix in the right emotional formula \u2013 magic. However, what I want to do today is briefly turn the tables and relate it to the \u201cpersonality\u201d of the retailer. Your brand. In the experience economy we all talk about \u2013 what is your \u201cpersonality\u201d as a retailer? Have you personalized your experience? Does everything about you and your business support this or are you just mixed bag of messaging? Here are a couple things to think about as you once again \u201cshop yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n

Are you just a retailer like any other retailer with a sign?<\/strong> Over the last weeks I have asked numerous dealers \u2013 \u201cwhat kinds of products do you carry<\/em>\u201d? Most of the responses were (are) a quick dump of brands. This tells me a couple things. There is a good chance that the dealer is just carrying lines in hopes that the \u201cbrand name\u201d will be enough and second \u2013 leads me to wonder if the retailer has given any thought to how their product mix is \u201cmixed\u201d. What if a retailer responded \u201cThat is a great question. At (insert retailers name) we have gone to great lengths to curate a fantastic assortment to meet the needs of most first-time home buyers<\/em>\u201d. Holy crap \u2013 sign me up. They have taken a common question and driven the delivery truck right into a customers\u2019 home loaded with the right products. Take it one step further. Maybe the dealer has then refined that response and tailored it to each category of products. Kitchen, bedroom, office. Relating the \u201ccurating\u201d specifically to those sub-sets of products. As a consumer, wouldn\u2019t that go a long way to tell me a lot about this retailers\u2019 personality? They get me. They care. They have mitigated risks associated with buying (the wrong) products. The list goes on. A real-world truth is that most dealers\u2019 less than adequate responses are a flavor of how their staff would respond to the same question\u2026 Extra points if a retailer not only has this figured out \u2013 but also has the responses engrained in their culture!<\/p>\n

Visit and take notes!<\/strong> Go to a mall \u2013 yes, remember those. The big thing next to Cheesecake Factory and Maggiano’s. Go visit a bunch of stores (mall or not) and observe how the employees act as soon as you enter. Remember what you like, don\u2019t like, etc. Even the small details \u2013 such as how someone said something. What did they have in their hands? What music perked your attention? How about smells. Colors. Everything counts. As a business owner I bet the things you gravitated to or \u201cliked\u201d are going to be part of the personality of your own retail business. However, have you defined these and gone the necessary step to ingrain them into your \u201cculture\u201d. There \u2013 I said that word again. Culture. Personality is a derivative of culture (my opinion). How your store \u201cacts\u201d (act being all things mentioned above, not just people) when someone crosses the threshold of your business sets the tone, the mood, and expectations of the visit. Seems a bit like retail 101, but I think the opportunity in this point is that there is a gap or miss if you really look. It is in your control. Define and fine tune. Again, everything counts in that consumer experience.<\/p>\n

What are you trying to solve?<\/strong> I mentioned culture. I mentioned personality. You started your business for a reason. Hopefully it is to solve a problem, and everything ties back to that. In my response above \u2013 \u201cAt (insert retailers name) we have gone to great lengths to curate a fantastic assortment to meet the needs of most first-time home buyers<\/em>\u201d; you have done it. You solved that problem. Not only do you have the right products \u2013 you have a bunch of them. Again, my opinion; personality is more than the persona of your business \u2013 emotions are a big part of it but are often not employed. This response conveys that you care. Empathy, compassion, anything that oozes you have a vested interest. Here is a comparison. \u201cWe carry leading products from leading brands<\/em>\u201d or \u201cWe have gone to great lengths to curate a fantastic assortment to meet the needs of most first-time home buyers<\/em>\u201d. There is nothing \u201cwrong\u201d with the first response as it is better than \u201cwe carry, x,y, and z<\/em>\u201d; but I believe that the second response conveys that vested interest in a solve to a problem \u2013 thus a satisfied customer.<\/p>\n