Why you need to walk your sales floor every, single day

We took this photo today, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, nine days after Mother's Day. It's easy to get involved in other projects and miss the little things that are happening on your sales floor. This is why you, and every one of your team,  need to do our 360 Degree Pass-By each and every day. Here's how:

Begin at the front door and walk each aisle, looking for things that need to be fixed before you open for business. These areas include:

Survey the Parking Lot: Is the parking lot easily accessible? Are store associates cars parked in the best spaces? Is it clean and brightly lit?

Size Up the Store Front: Does your store front require paint or repair? Is there clutter to be cleaned up or exterior displays to be reorganized? Can customers easily see your store front sign? Are all the bulbs in working order? Are your windows clean and free of old signs? Do the window displays need to be attention?

Access the Decompression Zone: The Decompression Zone is the 5’ to 15’ just inside the front door of the store. Its purpose is to slow down rushed and distracted customers so they can concentrate on shopping. Is your DZ uncluttered, inviting and easy to navigate?

Work Your Speed Bumps: Do your Speed Bump displays – small tables or fixtures of hot product placed just beyond the Decompression Zone – need to be fluffed or re-stocked? Work your Speed Bumps – they sell product!

Look Right! Power Wall Ahead: Your main Power Wall is located just inside your store and to the right. This is a premium location that is highly visible and heavily shopped; it should be used to merchandise hot product stories, new items, and high demand items. Are your Power Wall displays set to sell? Do they need to be re-stocked or re-merchandised?

Review Your In-store Signing: Does your signing reflect the style and personality of the store? Can customers easily read them? Is there old sale or product signing that needs to be removed? Are there signs with cutesy references to breakage and unwatched children present or other offensive signing that needs to be removed?

Check Out the Checkout Counter: Is there enough room on the counter for a customer to comfortably complete the transaction? Are there impulse items displayed at the checkout to encourage add-on sales? Is there an interesting display behind the checkout counter that will keep customers thinking about product? Is your policy and procedure signing customer friendly? Do you have enough of this week’s Bag Stuffers to make it through the day?

Walk the Aisles: Is there product spilling over into the aisles? Are there stack or dump displays blocking the main aisles? Can customers easily maneuver a shopping cart, wheel chair or stroller down the aisles? Can two carts easily pass one another throughout the store?

Survey Your Merchandise Presentation: Are your displays fresh? Do they encourage customers to stop and look, and entice them to buy? Are there open peg hooks or empty spots on the shelves that need to be restocked? Is the product “faced” (brought to the front of the shelf or hook)? Are there bin tickets missing?

If you do the 360 Degree Pass-By each day, you will soon become attuned to things that are out of place or need your immediate attention. And shoppers will never see signs that are old and out of date.

COPYRIGHT KIZER & BENDER .  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

360 Degree Pass-By™ is a trademark of KIZER & BENDER Speaking!

5 things you can do right now to keep customers close!

1. Become a 1%-er. Vow to be just one percent better each day and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish! That little one percent more will help you look at your store with fresh eyes, seeing opportunity where you’ve never seen it before. Your customers will notice – and so will your competition. Being a 1%-er requires focus and commitment.

2. Keep Your Eye On the Big Picture. Always keep one eye on the BIG picture – long range goals for you store. You need short term goals as well, but understand that to keep the future bright, you have to make future plans. Part of this planning involves keeping track of retail trends, keeping notebooks of things you’d like to do, floor moves you’d like to make, lines you’d like to sell, etc. When vendors visit your store, spend quality time with them, taking full advantage of his or her knowledge.

If you don’t have time to set goals or work on the big picture ask your team for help. When you turn over some of the day-to-day tasks to your associates, you’ll find extra time in your day. Don’t be afraid to delegate! Remember this African proverb: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The same goes for the goals you set. You can easily accomplish your goals by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable, easy-to-do steps. Plan your work, and then work your plan.

2. Know that the Customer’s Definition is the Only One that Counts. Every retailer has an opinion of their customer service and it’s usually better than what their customers think. But when it comes to service, the customer’s definition is the only one that counts.

Don’t assume you know what your customers are thinking. If they’re not happy they probably won’t tell you, they’ll just quietly go someplace to buy what you sell. If you don’t know how your guests define great service then you’re going to have to ask.

One day a month, station yourself near the front door and conduct Exit Interviews. Introduce yourself and ask customers if they found everything they were looking for. Ask about their in-store experience and their interaction with store associates. Ask if there are any classes or events they’d like to attend or product they wish you carried.

When a customer tells you something good, write it down! Use their positive quotes in social media posts, ads, bag stuffers, in-store signing, and on your website. A customer testimonial is instant credibility because it’s 10 – 20 times more believable than what you have to say about yourself.

3. Ask our “BIG Question”. Ask customers, “What ONE thing could we do to ___________________? You fill in the blank. You might ask, “What ONE thing could we do to improve our customer service?” or “What ONE service could we add that would make it more convenient for you to shop here?” or “What ONE product line would you like us to carry?” Because the customer has to put thought into their answer, you will hear constructive things that you will be able to implement. And don’t be surprised if several customers tell you a variation on the same theme – that’s a good thing! If it’s positive then you have one more thing to brag about, and if it’s negative, then you know just what to fix.

4. Do one more thing. Before the customer leaves the store, before you hang up the telephone, before you hit send on that e-mail, do one more thing. Invite the customer to follow you on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Ask if they'd like to receive your newsletter, e-mail blasts, and be a part of your loyalty club. Do or suggest anything that will keep that customer close to your store.

5. Let Your Lions Roar! Are your store associates all reading from the same page in the same book that you are reading from? Each one brings a unique talent to your store, but you have to let them use it. Get them hyper-involved in store operations. We’ve seen hundreds of great “associate ownership” examples where store programs, operations, promotions, merchandising and more have been turned over to associates. When looked upon as more than a body who can fog a mirror or ring a register, these associates have demonstrated an ability to perform tasks, introduce profit-producing ideas, and encourage others to work with customers in ways that would make any retailer proud.

You know why this works? Letting your lions – your associates – roar works because they know that you believe enough in them to let them try. If they fail, talk about what could have been done differently and then they move on. A trust, no, a sense of ownership overtakes the associate and they continually strive to do more for the store.

COPYRIGHT KIZER and BENDER . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Global Shop 2013

This week we made our annual trek to GlobalShop, the world's largest annual event for retail design and shopper marketing. Global Shop's show floor featured the largest, most comprehensive array of store fixture companies and in-store solutions -- it's the place to be if you are opening a new store, planning a remodel, or just looking for ideas and inspirations. Here are a few of our favorites:

Global Shop attendees were greeted by the Tensator Virtual Assistant, the  next generation of digital signing. There were Virtual Assistant's were all over the show floor. Click to watch it in action at the grand opening of Duane Reade's flagship store in NYC.

It didn't take long before we ran into friends. Here we are with Mark and Tom from Thomas Kindade Galleries. Wait until you see the new Thomas Kindade Galleries stores. Beautiful!

National Print Group's booth was truly amazing, there wasn't a detail they overlooked. Once we got past how cool the booth was, we were able to concentrate on all the amazing products and services NPG has to offer. Every single surface, from the flooring to the big top overhead, was printed by NPG.  
Take a moment and browse its online gallery.  And then get excited because NPG can print one sign or millions -- great news for indie retailers! We're looking forward to touring the NPG facilities when we visit Las Vegas in May.

NPG's Robb Weinstock sent us over to see some of NPG's work in action. This is a sample of the "Hi-Traffic Graphic" by G-Floor Graphic. It's printable flooring, a fully repositionable floor graphic that floats over your existing floor. And it's affordable -- imagine what you could do with a Hi-Traffic Graphic in your store's decompression zone, power aisle, or any other area you want to highlight. There are plenty of ideas on the G-Floor website.  

Here's another example of what G-Floor Graphic can do to jazz up your store. 

Dekra-Lite featured holiday decor products, like the ones pictured below; everything you need to decorate stores of all sizes. Dekra-Lite sells by the piece and does custom design. The company even offers Signature Collections -- pre-designed collections that make to easy to develop colors and display themes. Click to view its Design Gallery.

This beaded light curtain would be a welcome display addition all year round.

We love an over-sized prop!

We're thinking a giant Chandelier Sphere would look great high above your sales floor.

And in our office entrance.

Lavi Industries, experts in stanchions, signage, electronic queuing, in-line merchandising, and other crowd control and queue management solutions, featured the latest in store check-outs. If you've been to a Best Buy, Old Navy or Sephora store lately then you have seen a similar set-up in action. These check-out systems are built to encourage impulse purchases -- customers continue to shop while waiting on line to pay. Smart!

                        

CNL Mannequins booth was a showstopper. This wasn't a booth, it was an experience. It was everything we say a visit to a store should be: the displays were outstanding and encouraged us to buy; the associates were dressed in black tie; guests were served champagne in goblets from silver trays. The icing on the display cake was when the owner of the company, who also happens to be an amazing opera singer, burst into song. He is accompanied by a golden mannequin and a player piano. Why just have a booth, when you can have a booth?

Direct Source Packaging showed just how important your store's bag is to the overall shopping experience -- it's a walking billboard for your store. Visit their website for products and ideas to strengthen your brand. 

This wall is meant to feature shopping bags, but it inspired us to come up with new ideas for in-store displays.

Shop and Roll baskets on wheels by Shop and Roll USA are the latest trend in shopping baskets. Michaels is using Shop and Roll in its new stores and urban locations.

It's a absolute fact that customers buy more when they shop hands-free. The sign in the photo below shows the latest Neilsen poll: Shop and Roll baskets increased sales by 18%. You can learn more on Shop and Roll USA's website.

Shop and Roll baskets come in various sizes and colors and are customization with your name and logo. The 34 liter baskets run about $20.00 each.

Shop and Roll baskets also come in an environmentally friendly version, made from recycled products. This version comes only in black and runs about $17.00 per basket. 

Global Shop is the place to be in the retail design industry. Here's Georganne with her good friend Lee Carpenter, CEO of Interbrand Design Forum. Lee was instrumental in shaping George's love of store design and visual merchandising.