WHAT'S THE STORY 085
New Ground
Go Where Your Customers Are! The fact that the customer frequency in stores is declining cannot be dismissed. The same applies to the threshold fear of certain customers and online competition. A lack of frequency is, however, not an unalterable fate - at least not for retailers who are willing to approach customers and come up with innovative ideas for being the first point of contact for their clientele. These retailers are aware that personal exchange is an undeniable advantage. Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Interviewees. Illustration: Claudia Meitert@Caroline Seidler.
Amazon Prime Wardrobe shows how it’s done: customers receive a box filled with clothes in the comfort of their home. There, they can try on the contents in peace and quiet. They pay for the items they want to keep and even benefit from a bonus system. The rejected items are put back in the box and placed in front of the door, where a messenger picks it up. What can one learn from Amazon? The focus is on customers and their needs; the act of purchasing clothing is simplified to the extreme. Given the fact that the expenditure of time is minimised, one could argue that the process couldn’t be more comfortable. Lifestyle, Beer, and Chocolate
“The lack of frequency is the biggest challenge of the stationary retail trade”, says
Chris Zanon. He knows what he’s talking about. After all, he has been running his eponymous store since 1988 and was - until 1995 - a very successful retailer of snowboarding hardware and matching sportswear. Today, he strives to be a fashion destination for lifestyle-conscious consumers by offering a product range inspired by Scandinavia. “Lienz, with its 12,000 inhabitants, acts as a central, regional hub. The nearest major cities, such as Klagenfurt or Bruneck, are 120 kilometres away”, Zanon points out. As an open-minded and active individual, Zanon looks beyond the proverbial own nose. During his twelve years as a member of the city council, he focused on making Lienz an attractive business location. One of his achievements was the installation of buckets with palm trees in summer to style in progress 118