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Spring Forecasts
Michigan storeowners overwhelmingly expect sales growth this spring, following a frozen February that chilled retail activity. Page 3
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Buy Nearby Guy on the Move
The Buy Nearby campaign mascot plans a busy year promoting the benefits of shopping in Michigan. Page 6
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Breastfeeding in Public
Make sure to comply with recent state regulations, including not discriminating against a mother who breastfeeds her baby in public. Page 9
® April 2015 Vol. 40 No. 2
Today’s ‘flex shopper’ demands best efforts in all retail channels Welcome to the new world of the “flex shopper.” Created by the ofttimes rocky, sometimes blissful marriage of retail and technology, this new shopper is “ruthlessly efficient” and switches sales channels and devices to best suit personal convenience when evaluating and purchasing products. That’s the conclusion of a recent “white paper” on the retail customer experience from logistics giant UPS and research analyst comScore, Inc. Not surprisingly, the study finds that today’s connected consumer has heightened the demands placed on all retailers. “Despite desktop’s reign, mobile’s emergence as a significant revenue channel and social media’s ability to influence, retailers must up their game and differentiate to compete in an omnichannel world,” it says. While the study focuses chiefly on the online retailing experience, it delivers messages for in-store retailers as well. Key findings include: • Convenience dominates the shopping landscape online and in-store. Rather than flex shoppers favoring one channel over another, their selections are often driven by convenience. With retailers continually improving on fulfillment and delivery times, the differences among channels are becoming less important to consumers. That makes it more important than ever for retailers to create compelling online and in-store shopping experiences coupled with exceptional service. The goal is to make shopping enjoyable and practically effortless, regardless of how it occurs. For example, more than 50 percent of online consumers ship items to the store at some point in the overContinued on page 8
The official publication of the Michigan Retailers Association
www.retailers.com
Slow, deliberate start for legislature Legislators have been back in Lansing for nearly three months without much new legislation to show for it – by design. With nearly one-third of the 148 representatives and senators being new
to the Capitol, there is a lot to learn. The new legislative leaders are making sure caucus members get as much education on the issues as possible. For example, in addition to holding dozens of get-acquainted meetings
Craft beer entrepreneur keeps business hopping
with first-term lawmakers, Michigan Retailers Association has given an overview of the retail industry to the House Commerce Committee. MRA also made a presentation on retail pharmacies, together with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, to the House Health Policy Committee. And MRA provided an overview of the credit card payment system to the House Financial Services Committee. “It’s a slow start, especially compared to the frantic legislative activity at the end of last year,” said Amy Drumm, MRA director of government affairs. She was referring to the final days of the lame-duck session when lawmakers scrambled to tie up loose ends, including enacting MRA’s Main Street Fairness legislation and putting together a complex, $1.2 billion road-funding plan for the upcoming May 5 ballot. “Lawmakers are at work in their committees, but there is no great rush to push out legislation so early Continued on page 4
Webinar series begins in April
like myself.” What the Grand Rapids native ran into was the soon-to-take-off craft beer industry. In 2008 Sellers opened the first HopCat beer bar, in his hometown. Seven years later, Sellers’ company – BarFly Ventures – operates HopCat locations in East Lansing, Detroit, Ann Arbor and Indianapolis. The company also owns three other Grand Rapids bars: Grand Rapids Brewing Co., Stella’s Lounge and McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon. “This is a huge year for us,” said Sellers, whose company had $1.8 million in sales in year one and $21
A new season of free webinars to help members improve their businesses begins in April with a session on how to protect your systems from cyber criminals. Three more sessions on hot-button issues will be held in May, June and July. Three begin at 8:30 a.m., and are repeated at 11:30 a.m. the same day. The first one, on April 22, starts at 9:30 a.m. and is not repeated. The online sessions are free to MRA members. They are produced by MRA and the national Council of State Retail Associations’ “Retail University.” Par ticipants must register in advance for one or all webinars by contacting MRA’s Laura Schilling at lschilling@retailers.com or 800.366.3699 ext. 313. Login information for each session will be provided to registrants.
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Strong growth is on tap for Mark Sellers’ HopCat beer bars in Michigan and beyond.
by Doug Henze When Mark Sellers opted to retire from the financial services industry at the still-energetic age of 38, his goal was simply to stay busy. “I was looking for something to keep me occupied, something I was proud of,” said the former Chicago investment fund manager. “I started a bar just for fun, just to be able to hang out. I wanted to have a place for craft beer lovers