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Over The Counter
Coffee Break Chatter Independent card and gift retailer, David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi in Scotland, reflects on how views and encouraging opinions can be good for business. Guess who's back? Well, after a couple of months 'sabbatical' I am writing this month’s column before I go and finish ‘Project Coffee’! Project Coffee has been ongoing for nearly two years and suffice to say it has grown, changed and morphed into its current state, which kicks-off fully next week. In future PG columns I will look at the decisions I have taken on this project, but only time will tell if these decisions are the right ones in the long and short-term for my business. At the core of this project is the merging of the coffee and cards elements into a proper 'all in one' store. It is not a coffee shop with a few card spinners dotted about, but a proper coffee and card store with both on an equal footing. This store is part of my pipedream of having a business model that I can franchise and locate anywhere in the UK. Hopefully I am getting it right, but what I can be sure of is that everyone will have an opinion on what I have done. We have a large customer base so people’s opinions of what I am trying to achieve will be very interesting to gauge. Opinions these days are easier to gather than ever before – be it in person, on social media or through online reviews. Opinions on products, experience, customer service and
the shopping environment are crucial to how a business performs and I think retailers ignore this at their peril. Good constructive points allow us as business operators to pick up on things that we have maybe missed. We, as card and gift retailers, are not just a store, we are the people who offer that perfect solution. We are the 'go to' for greeting cards about births, marriages, birthdays or just that little card to make people feel better. As retailers we have to give the shopper the complete experience with great product and brilliant customer service going hand in hand to make them feel good. Mary Portas, in her talk last month at Spring Fair, spoke about this. Indeed, her whole belief is about understanding the shopper. Seducing consumers with what you have on offer is really the only way to survive in retail. Mary believes that few people need more stuff in their lives so to be tempted to buy something they really have to be in love with it. I find a great deal of what Mary says is common sense and most of us do it without thinking. Top: A 'proper cup of coffee' along with new Bijou branding. Above: Mary Portas' talk at Spring Fair in February drew the crowds. Left: Constructive opinions can help your business.
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
This links of course with the debate about whether people actually want to shop in bricks and mortar stores or are happier to shop online at home. When asked about this, and a number of internet based questions, some of Mary’s answers were really interesting. She believes that internet shopping will bottom out and that it will reach a point where the growth is negligible. Online sales rose from 13.5% in 2014 to the expected 16.8% in 2016, but Mary expects it to stop rising around the 25% mark. While this is a scary percentage, it does give us shop owners hope that people will still shop on the high street given the correct circumstances. The internet is without doubt the tool
of choice for checking reviews and prices of products and services. It is the reassuring 'arm around the shoulder' that what we are buying is correct. But the fact is that a great deal of people still want to come into a store and buy their goods in that environment from a person who can enhance the purchase either simply with their personality or indeed with information... and that is us retailers! Mary also made it very clear that you do need a web presence and that it needs to be good and reflect well on your store. Even if you do not want a trading site, having a basic online page showcasing your store and where it is located is a must at the very least.