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We once knew a lady who steadfastly championed the idea that Labor Day should be considered New Year's Eve, and the Tuesday after Labor Day as the start of the New Year. (Yes, she was ahead of her time in many other ways as well.)
Here's her reasoning about the "real" New Year's Eve: as summer fades away and vacations end, the new school year starts up; the baseball season pennant race is on; football games begin.
As all this happens, she explained, most people take on a renewed sense of energy.
The promise of a fresh start is everywhere. Optimism abounds!
Time for retailers to embrace that “New Year state of mind!” And shed some of the "we’ve always done it that way" practices.
Remember, your best shoppers always want to know "What's new?"
The better job you do of sharing the joy of all that newness with your shoppers, the better it will be.
Here is how you might start: think about any and all the changes in your stores in recent months. Sure enough. Lots of good answers to “What’s new?” Celebrate them!
A new look to the store.
New hours.
New ways of taking payment.
New ways of offering merchandise (online; in-store; personal shoppers; subscription)
New ways of reaching out to your customers.
New staff members.
New events, promotions, savings, etc
Likely some new vendors.
New ways of buying your merchandise (online trade shows; online wholesalers, etc.)
New ways of getting purchases to the customers, whether literally by mail or courier, or curbside pickup, or in-store.
Time to celebrate that New Year state of mind! Go for it! (And yes, work on those New Year's resolutions, too!)
Make your stores the ones brimming with the good vibes of “Look what’s new!”
According to the calendar, as of March 21, it officially is springtime. No matter what the weather is doing. Well, it's time to bring the calendar to real life! Spring is really a state of mind! The dark winter has passed. Even the rain is warmer in the spring. And new growth is beginning to sprout; leaves are coming out. It's a wonderful, fresh outlook. And that of course means it is a wonderful opportunity for retailers to refresh and reenergize their stores. No matter what merchandise you sell - whether it's tires, apparel, books, housewares, office supplies, whatever - every retailer is in the fashion business. And that means that your customers are wanting what is new and fresh.You know; "in fashion."
Each year at this time, our thoughts turn to turkeys. No, not the ones that will adorn many dining tables on Thursday. But the "turkeys" lurking amidst your inventory. You know; non-selling, distressed, slow-moving, old, unappealing leftovers among your merchandise. But this year, frankly, our worries extend beyond the turkeys. Here are some of the reasons why.
As a result, in this environment, consumers are scaling back their discretionary purchases, and/or choosing to spend on travel, dining out, or other experiences versus retail merchandise. Not an upbeat prospect for retailers, is it?
The definition of a good coach is “That person who makes you do the things you don’t want to do, to become the person you want to be.” Given that, we would suggest that the pandemic proved to be a great coach for many retailers. So much so, "Coach P" really deserves being recognized as the Coach of the Year! Think about it. The pandemic forced retailers to do things they had long evaded or delayed (remember “technology laggards?”)
Is there a more difficult everyday challenge? As owners of businesses, we've got all of the issues of the times right on our plates. Think about it:
Is there a more difficult every day challenge than maintaining perspective? We don't think so.
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