Customers hop on shops that pop

“This year more than ever, retailers need to be at the top of their game,” said Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of “Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience.” In the book, a retailer that focuses on enhancing the shopping experience is described as a “shop that pops.”

“A shop that pops is one that is transformed from an ordinary store into an extraordinary shopping experience,” Danziger said. “A shop that pops becomes a destination for loyal customers to visit again and again, not because they need to buy anything, but because they want the thrill of shopping there once more. A shop that pops thrives because all the while shoppers are getting their experiential thrill, they are also shopping and spending money.”

Danziger profiles extraordinary retailers who have overcome obstacles to succeed, such as:

• Prairie Edge, Rapid City, S.D., offers authentic Native American arts and crafts -- with a big vision. The goal is not only to sell rare and fine objets d’art, but also to preserve the heritage of the native peoples and to provide a fair price to the artisans. Prairie Edge is one of the early pioneers of fair trade at retail that makes customers feel involved in the store’s mission.
• Tiger Lily, Charleston, S.C., is a florist shop that has won both local and national awards for stunning arrangements and superior service. The store succeeded only after its owners rejected what other people told them they needed to do to run a florist shop, like sell balloons, giftware and other non-flower items. Instead, they got rid of all the extraneous non-flower stuff and focused exclusively on delivering “awesome flowers.”
• Damsels in This Dress, Worthington, Ohio, has transformed from being just a fashion boutique. The store helps customers discover their own personal style by “bringing out the inner diva hidden inside every woman,” the store owner said.

Tell us: what are you doing to make your shop pop?

-- Kevin

Comments

[west bremerton florist]

it's really hard to manage or achieve a successful business, and finding and focusing on the one thing that can make you known and popular is a great way to do it.