Tag Archives: Marketing

Oct 25 2023
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The collaboration advantage: A new frontier for competitive businesses

When the going gets tough, the tough get going and businesses are having to dig deep right now. Whether it’s big businesses like FANGs (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google) or start-ups – we’re seeing the business economic model in full swing. Lay people off, put more pressure on those staff that remain because of squeezed costs and paddle as hard as you can to keep your head above water.

As the saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved, so why aren’t we tackling more of these challenges collaboratively? Collaboration is nothing new, but when we think about it within a business context, it’s often talked about as a people strategy – how do we get people to work better together to improve our outcomes?

So how can we work better together as businesses to do the same, especially within SMEs? If we look at this cross-sector – retail, FMCG, technology etc – there will be thousands of businesses investing money in the same things, whether it’s R&D, resource, product innovation, supply chain, marketing, national/international expansion, or business process.

Change the narrative

We need to encourage collaborative discussions to happen and change our language. Often when businesses meet, it’s one selling to the other, rather than enhancing the narrative of how can we help and elevate each other.

If we look at the way we physically work these days, with so many more shared offices, there’s never been more of an opportunity to collaborate. According to Statista, the volume of flexible office workspace in the United Kingdom is expected to have nearly doubled between 2019 and 2023, reaching 167 million square feet in 2023.

However, if you walk into a WeWork, TOG or similar managed building, I wonder how many businesses are collaborating rather than just sharing a physical space? We need to be bold and brave – if you don’t ask, you don’t create opportunities and facilitate a group culture that goes out and gets.

Never rely on Government

We’ve seen how ineffectual the Government really is at supporting businesses to flourish, particularly SMEs, including the hike in corporation taxes, failure to reduce business rates or even introduce an online sales tax to level the playing field with the likes of those registered offshore.

So where do we look and how do we take the initiative? Perhaps industry trade bodies can do more to support and, let’s be honest, almost every sector has one. Many are great at celebrating success, offering training courses and providing a forum for solving industry problems but they could play a far greater role in bringing organisations together in a commercial, rather than a ‘club’, approach to help solve their individual problems.

Ask your trade body to create a collaboration work stream and be the one to set it up. You may only need to ask one question and there might be someone right there, right now, that could save you a lot of money. It’s a way of moving from a competitive advantage to a collaborative advantage. We can all learn and win that way.

Start simply with finance and marketing

Sharing just one thing could make a big difference so start simply. Sharing financial and admin resources is an easy route into collaboration. But I really think SMEs are missing a trick when it comes to sharing marketing costs. Marketing is the budget that SMEs always wish they had more of – more visibility often means more sales – yet it’s the one that gets squeezed the most in turbulent times. I think there are so many ways for businesses to do this.

Social media brand collaborations on platforms like Instagram have opened new audiences for SMEs. Think about how you could partner up with a like-minded brand for a ‘real-world’ marketing campaign. It will make media far more accessible if you share the cost, for example, of an out-of-home campaign.

An SME doing this really well is the cereal brand Surreal. The brand is looking to disrupt the cereal space and recently partnered with like-minded businesses Numan, Cheesegeek and Gymbox for a throwback to Daft Punk in an online mock-up ad. Four simultaneous ads read ‘Harder, Feta, Faster, Stronger’ for those in the market for erection medication, online cheese, high-protein cereal, and an unconventional gym brand. It was super fun, and engaging, created a huge amount of talkability and was cost effective too!

If you’re purely an online brand, think about creating a collaborative pop-up shop that will drive in-person trials for your brand and product. Do it collaboratively with complementary brands that alone could never afford to be on Oxford Street. Yes, the busiest shopping street in the UK, is achievable.

If you’re on the high street, why not create a marketing committee that maybe works alongside your local Business Improvement District (BID) and challenge them to do more than just turn on the Christmas lights? Retail is 365, not just for the holidays. Get everyone to work together to fund a local marketing campaign, it could be a discount Wednesday or a 10% off day every month at every door irrespective of the retailer, independent or multiple.

There’s no doubt that collaboration comes with challenges but, if you pick partners wisely, with the same goals, culture, and values, it could be just what you need to develop and thrive in today’s tough economic climate.

To read the published article written by Dan Todaro, Managing Director please visit Business Leader

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Oct 04 2023
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‘Inevitable’ fall of Wilko explained – ‘atrocious’ online to ‘ghost ship’ stores

“They were occupying an ex-Woolworth’s size store with 2,500 square feet, if not bigger, and paying excessive amounts of rent, excessive amounts of rates, with very little support from the government,” Daniel said. “The average basket value was low and they were never going to make a huge amount of money as margin, when you consider all of their overheads including salaries.

“But they didn’t appeal to a mass audience and they didn’t make themselves known to a younger audience, who ultimately probably would have enjoyed shopping there on the basis that it would have fitted in with their budget, but it just did not appeal to them in that way. It puts shoppers off to walk into a giant store that is half empty. They could have sectioned off 500 square foot of the store and put everything in there to create a more appealing shopping environment rather than feeling like you were in a ghost ship.”

But it was ultimately their failure to have a strong online presence that left Wilko ultimately vulnerable, Daniel added: “Their online offering was atrocious, it was appalling,” Daniel said. “In the space of nine months, they borrowed 105 million pounds. Was there no consideration of that money that they borrowed to help develop that online proposition and create a new audience. You have to question where did this money go?

“As an organisation, they were struggling to appeal to a certain demographic, couldn’t sell enough of their low-end products to make enough margin to keep these stores going – so did no one think about investing part of that to just develop some kind of online proposition?

The general demise of the high street also played a big part in Wilkos downfall with the loss of big high-street stores such as Debenhams, which entered administration twice throughout its 242 years but finally collapsed for the final time in 2020. Other big high street losses included Sir Philip Green’s retail empire, Arcadia Group, which included brands such as Topshop, Topman, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Evans. It fell into the hands of administrators in 2020, under the weight of a £750million debt pile. Another brand previously owned by Sir Philip Green and one of the most famous on the street, BHS, had fallen into administration a few years before in April 2016.

“Once one starts to fall, it’s a domino effect for town centres because if they’re not drawing that portfolio, then it’s very difficult to draw somebody to the town, park up and wander through,” Rick said. “Then there’s the demise of the town where a lot of people were saying that it’s dirty and people were generally being put off because the shutters were up, the wrong people were in the towns, and its demise was setting in from the big boys leaving those locations. It’s just generally been a slow strangulation of the High Street and when one goes its a domino effect.”

Daniel agreed, adding: “Wilko was never a destination store – you didn’t come into town to shop at Wilko, you wandered into Wilco after visiting the bank or going to M&S or the post office. Debenhams’ loss decimated certain towns where it was literally the anchor store in the most prominent position in the high street. Part of their downfall was that there wasn’t the footfall. The high street needs help, not just from the government and local council, but from responsible retailers too.”

When the pandemic hit in 2020, people were forced to use online to order shopping and deliveries, only hammering home Wilko’s failure to make it online. “Places like Wilko had the benefit of a broad offering of toothpaste, pet food and everything, but their model is where the problem lies and instead people went to places like Asda online and got there, instead of the high street,” Rick said. “Wilkos didn’t have its foot in the market early enough for it to capitalise on it when things started to go wrong.”

Even when the cost-of-living crisis hit, Wilko, as a budget high-street store, may have been expected to survive – but there were other competitors out there. Rick explained: “Places like The Ranch have sprung up over the years and been able to give Wilko clients an offering not only just in store but online.

“In these times, it’s about sifting the wheat from the chaff and inevitably those that are strong, and have good contingencies and can weather the storms will always prosper out of this. But unfortunately Wilkos from one reason to another reason, to another reason just couldn’t weather this type of storm.”

For Wilkos’ former employers, Daniel said he hopes they are redeployed into other stores, but in reality, fears they will “fade into the rest of the unemployment figures”. This, he says, is only more reason why the government needs to get involved in saving the high street.

“Do you really want another lead wave of redundancies happening on your High Street, which is then going to further impact your entire local economy and what it costs the taxpayer to then support them?” Daniel said. “This is a very short sighted view that this government is taking that will actually cost more in the long run than if you had done something to support the High Street and to help the high street thrive and survive, as opposed to letting it die.”

To read the published article written by Dan Todaro, Managing Director please visit Mirror

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Sep 05 2023
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Display Systems

Over the years, retail display systems have undergone significant transformations, driven by advancements in technology, evolving consumer preferences, and the need for retailers to create immersive shopping experiences. In the past, retail display systems primarily consisted of basic shelves and counters where products were neatly stacked or arranged, but lacked the ability to capture consumers’ attention. In today’s world, retail displays aren’t just about enticing shoppers to come in-store. Instead, they’re about drawing attention, displaying information, and setting products apart from the competition. With fewer people watching traditional TV, in-store displays also need to do the extra work of informing and selling to potential customers.

Retailers can integrate digital displays, interactive screens, and even augmented reality (AR) elements into their fixtures, which allow for dynamic content presentation, enabling retailers to communicate the unique features and benefits of a new product or brand in a more engaging manner. They can showcase product videos, customer reviews, and engaging content, fostering a deeper connection with consumers.

In the world of considered purchases, using tech well can add to the experiential and immersive experience that shoppers increasingly expect from their high street visits, helping to engage and excite consumers. Retailers such as John Lewis are striving to meet this need, with new concepts presented at their Horsham store earlier this year, including a “wonder trial” interactive treasure hunt and a Clarins express skin service, to provide a ‘multi-sensory one-stop destination for fashion, beauty, tech and home design’. Visually appealing and shareable displays are also highly effective for generating ‘hype’, allowing retailers to capitalise on social media and influencer marketing to amplify the excitement around a new product or brand. Shoppers are more likely to capture and share their experiences on social platforms, effectively spreading the word and generating organic buzz.

To read the full article by Rupert Cook, Business Development Director please visit A1 Retail

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Aug 21 2023
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Curating the Customer Journey Through Training

When independent stores raise the issue of needing more support from brands to compete against multiple and online retail to remain competitive, there’s no support more valuable than training. Without the sales skills to confidently identify the customer’s needs to sell the benefits of a product that is right for them, you can’t really blame the brand if you aren’t selling more products than forecasted.

Most brands will offer training to your staff and this is free, so if you aren’t taking advantage of it, why not and if you are, do so some more as it’s there to help you and the brand in equal measure.

Allowing your salespeople access to brand ambassadors or training representatives is a positive start to your team’s training journey. Put personalities aside, they aren’t there to be your friend, let them do their job and train your team to develop their core competencies to improve the process of selling consumer electronics. Too often I hear criticism of training teams even before they’ve been allowed to do what they are skilled at doing; training your sales team.

On the whole, every brand will have created modules to be delivered in person or online that are specifically designed to engage with your staff and help them better understand not only the differences in technology options across a range but also the approach, many of which will be incorporating soft skills, how to sell.

Those of you who appreciate the value of training and see the benefits it drives to the store’s bottom line should take what the brand has to offer, perhaps even developing this further by incorporating it into your own training program.

Think about what’s important to you and your customers, be it high-end, entry-level, ease of use or bells and whistles, curate journeys your staff can communicate effectively during the sales process, that embraces the free training your brands have on offer to you. Work with your supplier to develop training that meets the needs of your business, take it beyond generic and make it bespoke to you and your challenges based on your customer profile.  By working with the brand ambassador they will be happy to adapt to make it relevant to you and your needs, after all, they will be rewarded for helping you develop sales.

I am a true advocate of training as an essential part of great retail experiences because it’s what my organisation does and research like our Mind the Knowledge Gap Research helps us understand better. Did you know that:

  • 1 in 10 shoppers have cancelled a planned, considered purchase due to poor in-store advice, This equates to some £15bn in revenue overall over the past year.
    • Gen Z [those now in their 20’s] are most likely to seek out experts
    •  37% of shoppers in the consumer electronics category revealed they would be prepared to spend more if they received excellent and knowledgeable in-store advice
    • 1 in 4 DIY shoppers (25%) were so disappointed by the advice they were put off making an expensive purchase altogether, with 11% pulling the plug on the purchase and walking out of the store.

Unsurprisingly, staff training is not only good for your profits but also morale and the increased motivation of staff enables them to want to learn and do better in their roles especially if it’s linked to personal and career development. It is proven to improve Productivity, Efficiency and Accountability.

Now more than ever, enhancing the customer experience is critical to create theatre in order to take the consumer through the varied steps of the journey from demo to sale. To do this, retailers need to develop the staff’s skill set to be the very best they can be – and this all starts with training.

A key element of success in store, especially in the considered purchase sector,  is the engagement of shoppers with any retail sales advisor. Therefore for a retailer, the need to have proactive, helpful, skilful, knowledgeable staff, capable of providing a personalised experience is key in the battle to convert shoppers into customers in your store.

Curating the customer journey through training enables you to enhance the overall in-store experience, complementing your displays and in-store environment to bring it to life as an experience. Tailored alongside offers and promotions it can be the difference between a sale or not.

If there is one key driver that should be running through a retailer’s training approach, like a stick of rock, is that the experience you offer in-store with fully trained and engaged staff is something the online experience can’t ever replicate.

To read the full article by Dan Todaro, Managing Director please visit ERT Online

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Jul 26 2023
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Smarten up!

When the CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, Marc Allera, announces that the average UK household will contain 50 connected devices by 2023, it’s a sure-fire signal that the smart home sub-sector will continue its growth trajectory and still has some boom opportunities for retail.

In the context of the ever-increasing cost of living, Energy Savings Products within the smart home category are pivotal to many, especially when lots of consumers are looking for ways to save money. Features from timed switch-on to smarter regulating, whether this is for water or heating, are amongst the many features devices such as these offer a cost-conscious consumer.

So, with an estimated 57 per cent of Britain’s homes having a smart device, it makes the UK smart home industry worth approximately £7 billion per annum. Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 12.08 per cent, resulting in a projected market volume of £13.05bn by 2027.

So, this category is definitely one worth considering! For those who know, Matter-enabled products are the future and will enable increased growth across the smart home category. With the Matter initiative and its implementation across future smart tech, it will allow users to unify with one app their product from brands with unique ecosystems, which could result in more than one purchase in-store as the consumer is not tied down to a single ecosystem, thus able to shop around to meet their budget. So, for example, if a customer wants smart lighting, they could choose a brand like Philips alongside a more budget-friendly option to save money.

This development in the evolution of smart products is revolutionary, if you take the example of Security Products to which a consumer will usually connect multiple devices, e.g. a doorbell cam, a camera or security lighting for your back garden and decide to get a smart a door lock, you are no longer tied down to get this and other products from the same brand. In general, not all smart security devices aren’t part of the initial roll-out of the Matter protocol, however, the products will still likely benefit from an uplift in interest thanks to greater interoperability.

As a category, smart security revenue is expected to show an average growth of 11.83 per cent, resulting in a projected market volume from £900 million to £1.41 billion by 2027.

GfK recently commented: “Smart devices generally have benefited from consumers’ drive to create simplicity in their home lives. Intruder security devices, sales of which have grown strongly since the start of the pandemic, now increasingly offer smart connectivity with smartphones and the home ecosystem, enabling users to detect whether or not they have a window open, for example, and then adjust the heating accordingly.”

With the ease of use and flexibility of installation becoming easier, it’s no wonder its popularity is increasing. The convenience factor offered is a huge draw, as well as the peace of mind such devices can give. A doorbell camera for example can give a new perspective to your front door area while also showing some great comedic moments from guests. Most new build homes are smart and therefore when upgrading your current property, smart devices are now a normal feature in the wish list and it is obvious to see why, when we as a nation use smart speakers and smart heating devices as the most popular devices in our homes, with 79 per cent of owners of smart home tech having one or both of these.

When training retail staff and creating messaging around the smart category, it’s important to address consumers’ concerns as speculation or hearsay may deter some shoppers who are keen but reticent.

As identified by YouGov, when it comes to the reasons that non-owners have not considered buying any smart home devices it’s due to security fears. About 39 per cent of respondents stated that security fears are their biggest concern, representing the greatest barrier to a consumer’s entry into the category. The second barrier is cost with 36 per cent that they do not have any smart devices for this reason, a reason that any retailer with the right display and knowledgeable staff can overcome at the point of purchase.

To read the full article by Dan Todaro, Managing Director please visit ERT Online

Photo by John Tekeridis on Pexels

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Jun 26 2023
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The Power of Influencer Marketing in Retail: Reaching and Engaging Target Audiences

In today’s digital age, where social media has become an integral part of our lives, influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses to reach and engage their target audiences. The retail industry, in particular, has embraced this strategy to harness the power of influencers and leverage their influence over consumers. In this blog post, we will explore the remarkable impact of influencer marketing in retail, focusing on how it helps brands effectively connect with their target audiences.

Building Authenticity and Trust:

One of the key advantages of influencer marketing is its ability to establish authenticity and trust. Consumers today are more likely to trust recommendations from individuals they admire and follow on social media than traditional advertising. Influencers, with their dedicated followers, have cultivated a sense of authenticity and credibility, making their endorsements more genuine. By partnering with influencers, retail brands can tap into this trust and leverage it to engage their target audiences effectively.

Expanding Reach and Visibility:

Influencers have built a loyal fan base, often consisting of thousands or even millions of followers across various social media platforms. Collaborating with influencers allows retail brands to tap into their extensive reach and gain exposure to a broader audience. By featuring products or promoting campaigns through influencers, brands can rapidly expand their visibility and brand awareness, ultimately reaching a larger pool of potential customers.

Targeting Niche Audiences:

Influencers come in various niches, catering to specific interests, demographics, or industries. This diversity allows retail brands to pinpoint and engage their exact target audiences effectively. For instance, a fashion brand can collaborate with a fashion influencer whose content aligns with their brand values and appeals to their target customer base. By leveraging influencers’ expertise in niche markets, retail brands can strategically tailor their messaging and product promotion to resonate with their intended audience.

Driving Sales and Conversions:

Influencer marketing has proven to be a potent driver of sales and conversions for retail brands. When an influencer recommends or endorses a product, their followers are more inclined to consider purchasing it. Influencers often share unique discount codes or exclusive offers, creating a sense of urgency and incentivising their followers to make a purchase. Moreover, influencers’ engaging content, such as unboxing videos, product reviews, or style guides, can inspire and convince potential customers to convert, leading to increased sales for retail brands.

Creating Engaging Content:

Influencers are masters at creating captivating and engaging content. Their ability to tell stories, produce high-quality visuals, and connect with their audience on a personal level makes their content immensely appealing. By collaborating with influencers, retail brands can leverage their creativity and expertise to develop compelling and authentic content that resonates with their target audiences. This content not only boosts brand awareness but also encourages engagement and fosters a sense of community among followers.

Influencer marketing has transformed the way retail brands connect with their target audiences, offering a powerful tool to reach and engage potential customers. By harnessing the authenticity, reach, and creativity of influencers, retailers can establish trust, expand their visibility, target niche audiences, drive sales, and create engaging content. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, influencer marketing is expected to play an even more significant role in the retail industry, shaping consumer behaviour and driving brand success. To stay competitive in the market, retail brands must recognize the power of influencer marketing and harness its potential to connect with their target audiences effectively.

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Jun 06 2023
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An Experience Worth the Effort?

For consumers, a trip to your store has to be worth the effort, time and expenditure, offering an experience that surpasses the convenience of simply buying online from the comfort of home. As a retailer how far do you go and how much do you invest to meet these needs, especially considering the current economic conditions.

It’s worth noting that from a macro perspective, things are not all doom and gloom. People are shopping and spending. The latest ONS data showed positive results for retail with a surprisingly large rise in retail sales for the month of February, the result marking the second consecutive month of industry growth. Volume sales were up by 1.2% against forecasts of 0.2% and once again shows the resilience of the UK consumers against an unrelenting cost of living crisis.

Hopefully this positivity isn’t just a blip, but even so, it’s fortunate that in the ERT world of ‘considered purchases’ – purchases made with significant financial or emotional thought – there is simply no match for the timeless ability of an in-store experience to engage all the senses and stimulate sales. This is particularly the case for consumer electronics and home appliances – categories with products that often require a high spend and technical questions that need to be answered as well as having to fit in with our homes and lifestyles.

True experiential retail as a strategy goes further than this though and could be defined as an approach where physical retail spaces offer additional experiences beyond browsing or buying products. It directly engages customers, inviting them to experience your brand live and in-person. Pop-up events, masterclasses, brand takeovers and hosting community events are all examples of experiential retail that may or may not work for you.

What is undeniable though is that customers now expect more. Research in the US  found that 91% of consumers would be more inclined to purchase a brand’s product or service after participating in a brand activation or experience, and 40% felt they become more loyal to the brand.

Retailers and brands have gone to great lengths to meet these expectations. Blowing the budget earlier in the year was luxury brand Louis Vuitton who transformed stores across the world for the launch of its collection with artist Yayoi Kusama. Stores such as Harrods were redecorated with Kusama’s signature polka-dots and life-like animatronics of Kusama painting in the windows of the stores!

On a slightly less grand scale, ERT has reported several times on how John Lewis has refurbished several stores to create “inspiring spaces to showcase products, experiences and services”. And this year they plan to trial a multi-sensory experience at its Horsham store. This is all great and hopefully it helps strengthen their position on the high street. However, what, in my opinion, can potentially detract from the desired effect is that it is often difficult finding a member of staff to talk to, something made all the more challenging with the no uniform policy.

People really do count when it comes to the overall retail experience. After all, this is a trump card that physical retail has over online channels. Indeed, Gekko’s latest research shows that 42% want to be able to engage with knowledgeable shop staff. It’s therefore surprising to see great looking and no doubt expensive Meta Quest virtual reality demo gaming areas in stores that are cordoned off from shoppers because there is no staff presence. If ever there was a category that needs to be experienced by shoppers before they buy into it, it’s VR.

So how can all this be applied to independent retailers selling consumer electronics and domestic appliances? Unforgettable, mind-blowing experiences that go viral on TikTok are generally going to be the preserve of big city flagship stores like Harrods. What is a realistic expectation is to play to your strengths both as an individual business and a physical retailer. As highlighted above, your staff are vital. Good old fashioned customer service is still fundamental to the retail experience. The research also showed that for 60% of shoppers cite a pleasant retail environment is an important factor to a great retail experience.  For 47% of those surveyed, the top reason for in person shopping versus online is the ability to try before you buy.

Most of you will already be offering this kind of experience for your customers but take the time to regularly reassess how you’re meeting these shopper desires. Moving with the times is essential though. What has worked in the past with your older customers won’t necessarily appeal to younger generations who have different expectations. But whoever the customer, the experience they receive in your store must be worth their while.

To read the full article by Rupert Cook, Marketing Director please visit ERT Online

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May 24 2023
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How Luxury Retailers Can Boost In-Store Sales This Spring

Despite ongoing inflation, the retail sector in the UK is showing improvement, with like-for-like sales rising 4.9% in March, according to BRC/KPMG. With this extended bank holiday season upon us, there is more of a spring in the step for retailers. A recent survey we commissioned of 2,000 consumers found that 13%, equating to 9 million adults, are definitely planning to hit the physical shops, presenting luxury retailers with a meaningful opportunity for sales uplift

To take advantage of this opportunity, retailers need to create a shopping experience that is truly focused on the customer. 60% of respondents in the survey cited a pleasant environment as an important factor in a great retail experience. Luxury retailers should, therefore, ensure that they offer a pleasant in-store experience, starting from the moment the shopper walks in. 

This can be done by creating an immersive journey towards the checkout with creative displays and merchandising. All of this should be backed by product availability, highlighted promotions, and all-around first-class customer service. Staff should be readily available on the shop floor, and queues at the till should be kept to a minimum.

To combat inflation, promotions are vital, with 59% of respondents in the survey agreeing. Luxury retailers should ensure that they are competitive with online channels and have promotions visible and clearly marked up to entice hard-pressed consumers to open their purses and wallets.

In our survey, 42% of respondents cited engaging with knowledgeable shop staff as a key reason for their visit. Luxury retailers should, therefore, ensure that staff is well-trained and ready to answer questions. A well-trained expert can be worth their weight in gold, particularly with considered purchases. This will leave a positive imprint encoded on the memory of customers.

One of the top reasons given for in-person shopping versus online is to try before you buy (47%). Luxury retailers can play to their strengths here by effectively merchandising their products and encouraging customers to engage in a tactile journey of discovery. It is crucial to have the right expert on hand to assist the process, with all the senses of the shopper engaged in a truly immersive physical experience that will lead them towards the checkout.

The modern retail experience is underpinned by sociability, combining a trip with meeting friends and dining. Retailers and brands need to complement this by providing an environment that is sociable and luxurious, offering dining experiences, and other events that are relevant to their luxury brand. 

By creating a luxury experience that extends beyond the purchase, retailers can build customer loyalty and enhance the overall shopping experience for the customer.

To read the full article by Dan Todaro, Managing Director please visit Luxury Advisor

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May 09 2023
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The Power of Online

Creating an effective online presence is hard and maintaining it is harder still, so why do it? Well, it’s the virtual window to your store and even if it’s a non-transactional site, it’s as important as your store experience.

So when considering your website, always ask what do you want the site to achieve. If you want to drive sales, the site needs to be set up to have your consumers coming to it. You could make the best site in the world but if you don’t attract the right people to it, no one will know it exists, nor will you sell anything. 

If you have the luxury of a big budget to launch a major ATL campaign to drive awareness of the site, then great but if this isn’t an option, then you’ll need to get inventive and use your resources wisely. Therefore it is best that you spend as much time on planning the site as defining your consumer base, driving the customers with each click-through to your site. And don’t forget to make it mobile compatible as according to Statista, 59% of all worldwide website traffic is now on mobile devices. According to Hubspot, the industry benchmark for average dwell time is considered somewhere between 2-4 minutes. It usually takes around this time to explore a website and get a feel for the design and your offering.

You will soon know if you have the right audience coming to the site as they will purchase if it’s an e-commerce site or engage if not, the objective is to not let them drop off, never to be seen again. Play to the key strengths of online, with 85% of consumers researching online before a purchase in store, make sure you use the space at your disposal to portray all key bits of information surrounding the products. 

Consumers will often be coming to your site for information on pricing product details and reviews, so ensuring all this information is readily available and accurate is key and furthermore, this helps with SEO, helping to push your site up the search rankings.

Everything from pricing, through to more detailed specifications should be easily found and digestible and failing to do so will lead to customer drop-off. People will more often than not be looking for this info with a view to also then go and touch, feel, demo a product with a view to purchase in-store.

If you already have a physical store, make sure the site is aligned with your in-store messaging and values. Too often retailers aren’t aware of how messaging, promotions, experience and brand compliance should transcend from store to site and vice versa. Recent Gekko research found that 69% of people surveyed said that a well-synced online and offline experience would help drive a considered purchase.

The customer journey more often than not starts with a visit to your website. Gekko’s research has shown that 85% of shoppers looking to make a significant purchase will do their research online before actually buying. This shopper journey should be developed, keeping the consumer’s attention, rather than leaving them unmotivated to click beyond the landing page or walk through your physical door. Therefore with dwell times on a landing page recorded as up to 4 minutes, the importance of the look, feel and ease to digest information and navigate their way through your site is therefore the key to a successful site. It’s understood that 88% of online shoppers are more likely to continue shopping on a retailer website that offers a personalised experience, increasing to 96% of Gen Z and 97% of Millennials based on research conducted by Elastic.

It may seem an obvious thing to point out for those of you with a physical retail presence but be conscious of using changing seasons, events and promotions as a worthwhile excuse to update your site. Keeping your site fresh and relevant will make sure you are attracting traffic to the site and driving potential customers to shop with you for special seasonal deals. Ensure that any promotion or event you are running in-store is reflected on your site and perhaps create a call to action. By doing this you can get to understand your customer better so that you can proactively market out to them at a later date. Utilise site analytics to assist you in understanding who your consumers are and how they are using your website. Insights on where users are coming from, which pages shoppers look at the most, plus the effectiveness of any marketing campaigns you have running will all help understand key impacts and help in your long-term strategies for the brand and products.

If you create a site that has independent reviews and rating, which is considered standard, then be prepared not only for the positive feedback but also the less than glowing reviews. The reality is that all retailers will get these from time to time. It’s how you deal with this feedback that matters. According to Review Trackers, 94% of online customers have avoided a business due to a negative review. Therefore for over 9 out of 10 customers, online reviews have become essential to their decision-making online. Whilst 94% may avoid you, it’s claimed by Podium that 93% of customers say they’ve made purchasing decisions based on an online review. What’s more, most customers say they won’t engage with a product or business if they see too many negative reviews or a star rating of less than 3.3. Be mindful of how you position your feedback and its features in Google searches of your site.

It is estimated that  21% of UK retail purchases are expected to take place online in 2023. It’s therefore no surprise that your e-commerce strategy is important. With more customers shopping online, your business can sell more and earn more as a result if you’re running an effective e-commerce site. However, whether your goal via your website is to boost direct sales or only engagement, it’s important to create a strategy that encourages consumers to your site and increases dwell time that elevates the customer experience and begins their journey.

Keeping the site uncluttered is critical as is the need to have relevant imagery that truly represents your business, royalty-free stock photography can work but it needs to be true to your brand. Involving your staff can make it personal too. It makes you real and relevant to the consumer with the added bonus that they recognise a few faces when they drop into your store, increasing your credentials as a retailer that values a personal approach to the customer journey. 

To read the full article by Dan Todaro, Managing Director please visit ERT Online

Photo by Negative Space

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Apr 03 2023
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Narrating the Customer Journey to your Door

One positive outcome that happened in our communities post-pandemic is that local communities have rallied around their small independent businesses, in particular retailers. Whilst multiples close unprofitable locations on the high street decreasing their retail doors, independents are swooping in to do what the big names have failed so spectacularly to do, namely talk to their immediate audience.

The vast majority of multiple retailers, including retail banking, are clueless to what the local community and their consumer actually needs and wants. They continue to cite financial woes as a reason to close more doors, abandoning towns and in the process, they fail to realise that being part of the community can actually create growth for them and increase brand advocacy.

Retail used to be amongst the most innovative of industries, where a progressive approach to understanding the consumer and creating experiences that made your store a destination. But this seems to have dissipated and all that’s left is a lot of whining retailers wondering why people no longer want to shop with them.

Offer boring and consumers will literally walk on by. A recent study by Shopify found that 35% of consumers prefer experiential shopping. Seasonality can create these experiences, boost marketing and sales efforts but most retailers fail to even engage at the most basic of levels.

At the other end of the spectrum is the pathetic attempts by local authorities to support their communities, understandably failed by this government which has overseen local authority budgets being squeezed almost to bankruptcy. The government offers idiotic solutions to regenerate local communities and fail to even protect local jobs let alone increase the local economy and create thriving, energetic towns.

It’s about time retailers, local authorities and the government sorted their acts out and focussed on delivering for people and not merely themselves. The result will be that all will suffer.

But what can a local independent retailer do with their local marketing to succeed where the behemoths have failed and do it better and uniquely in your own style to speak in a voice and tone that your local community understand and find appealing?

Footfall across UK retail destinations increased in January, despite the impact of the many rail and other strikes. The annual increase in footfall was largely unaffected, with the gap from the 2019 level even narrowing slightly. Retail footfall remains 14.2% below the 2019 level but showed progress from the 20.8% recorded in January 2022.

It’s said that 96% of small businesses say they use social media in their marketing strategy of which 41% depend on it solely to drive revenue. In reverse, 74% of consumers state that they rely on social media to guide purchasing decisions and 81% of shoppers research online before purchasing.

With so many researching before they shop, bearing this in mind, what’s more important to your business? It would seem that a recommendation in the form of reviews is essential as it’s claimed by Forbes that 90% or purchasing decisions are based on these positive reviews. Therefore those comments and likes really do matter when people search for products that potentially lead them to your landing page and  e-commerce site.

This is particularly important for any business and their marketing mix as more than 50% of consumers won’t use a business if it has less than a four-star rating and 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations (Birkett, 2020).

Interesting to know that over 50% of all “near me” searches will result in an offline store visit and 62% of consumers will disregard a business if they can’t find them online. More significantly 88% of potential customers look for online reviews before choosing local services and 24.4% of all clicks go to the first result of local business searches. So having a top Google search result is proven to have an average click-through rate of 31.7%. (Backlinko) and increases the need for your reviews to be exemplary if you’re to get those 81% that research online, through your doors.

That professional approach you take in-store to deliver a positive customer experience and so encourage purchasing, needs to translate equally through reviews and online presence. This should be evident to the consumer through your marketing either on socials or search, to ensure a seamless and frictionless customer journey. A journey that is likely to start online from search to your marketing, either on third party platforms or your own, that enhances your proposition to convert that search into a customer you engage with in person.

Use local marketing to talk about what makes you different, your approach, offers and more. Make sure your staff know what you are marketing to ensure a joined up approach, from what the customer sees and reads and how that translates into the experience they receive on your shop floor. Train your staff to mirror your local marketing in their approach with customers and set targets with staff to identify those who were attracted into the store through your advertising. Use this intelligence to understand what is and isn’t working effectively to fine-tune and ensure your tone resonates with your customers.

So when considering your local marketing approach it’s imperative that you understand the importance of SEO for local businesses and how utilising it effectively and professionally, can result in new customers through the door.  Once there, the seamless journey kicks-in where you’ve curated the narrative and the shopper will receive the service reviewed or promised and hopefully become repeat customers and spread the word online and in person on your behalf.

To read the full article by Dan Todaro, Managing Director please visit ERT

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