Non-outlet Retailers

Non-outlet retail­ers are the other types of retailers who do not de­pend on store premises to trans­act business. Three major types of non-store retailers are direct selling companies, mail order houses, and vending machine operators.

STRATEGIES FOR EXPANDING INTO RETAIL

USE THE following start-up and operating strategies to help you expand into retailing.

Retail Business Start-up Strategies

1) Choose a good location. Don't open a retail outlet unless you first find a killer location with substantial sales potential. Like a tree, a store has to draw nourishment from the area around it.

2) Choose effective signage. Exterior signs give customers a reason to come into your store. They should be colorful and professionally prepared. Interior signs direct customers to different de­partments and point out special fea­tures of selected merchandise.

3) Consider how you will encourage potential customers to buy. Self-service stores can encourage people to buy with easy to follow layouts, attractive displays, signs and clearly marked prices as well as loss leaders and markdowns to clear old stock. Other retail stores can enhance these tech­niques with personal selling.

4) Consider what kind of value-added services you will provide for your customers. The services you provide your customers may be free to them, but remember you pay for them. For example, if you provide free parking, you have to pay or rent the parking lot, and in the least share the rent with other retailers.

5) Learn how to display your products effec­tively. Merchandise dis­played on a brightly lit, well-organized shelf or dis­play counter says, "Stop. Look at me. That's right. . . now come on inside." How­ever. the same merchan­dise haphazardly thrown onto a dusty or dimly lit ta­ble or perhaps stacked up on a skid gives shoppers the undesirable impression that your store is dirty and junky and that they should just keep on moving. In fact, just like an imaginatively displayed en­tree can wet the appetite and switch the saliva glands into overdrive, so can a properly displayed clothing item richly displayed in an imaginative sur­rounding.Remember, the display and presentation of your merchandise throughout your store is one of the principle ways you commu­nicate with your customers.

It is also important when displaying your merchan­dise to group similar items close together to increase sales volume. For example. if you operate a grocery store it is a good idea to stock chips, dips, sodas and other party snacks side by side to encourage people to buy more than they might really need.

NOTE Properly displayed merchandise is essential to successful re­tailing. However, don't go overboard and display your merchandise like it belongs in a museum. This also dis­courages people from com­ing in and looking around. Also. be careful when using Don't Touch signs. These signs really say: "Don't come in." "Go shop some­where else." "If you break it you pay for it." "It's not very durable anyway."

6) Plan your "behind-the-scenes" work and space not to interferewith your regular in-store work and space. In a retail store, behind-the-scenes work Includes receiving in­ventory. preparing It for displays, and stocking shelves. Normally, this kind of work Is done dur­ing the slack sales times of the day. Behind-lhe-scenes work also includes keeping the store clean and attractive to customers. When planning for this kind of work, you will need to address problems like when the carpets should be vacuumed so as to not interfere with customer shop­ping?

7) Recruit people who can sell. Al­though a well thought out display can go a long way to getting people to look

at a new product or special promotion, sensitive non-aggressive sales per­sonnel can go a long way to closing a sale. and most Importantly, getting people to come back.

8) Think about purchasing a centrally located two-story house with a basement and turn it into a retail outlet. Find a prop­erly zoned downtown loca­tion if possible, on a lot with 25 to 50 feet of street front­age and 60 to 100 feet of depth. You will need a house with 1.500 to 2,000 feet of working space. The basement will be­come your warehouse. The main floor will become your retail-outlet and your chief working space. The second floor

will become your place of residence or an apartment you rent.

Retail Business Operating Strategies

9) Avoid trying to become a Sears or Montgomery Ward. Large store chains that sell a bit of everything may prove to be the new dinosaurs of the 21st cen­tury.

10)Become a member of your local Chamber of Com­merce. Your local chamber of commerce will have lists and trade publications of all manu­facturers in your area. Trade publications are a prime source of contact. They also carry clas­sified listings and advertisements of other manufacturers and suppliers who you may need to do business with.

11) Endeavor to operate at maximum efficiency. Owners of small retail en­terprises need to decide what to buy, when to buy. where to buy, and how to sell it. Thus, improving operating efficiency depends primarily on improvements made to buying, merchandising and promoting.

12) Endeavor to create a high perceived value for your mer­chandise. The more value for the money your customers think they are getting when buying from you, the more loyal they will become and the more you can charge them.

13) Foster repeat business. Repeat customers are the backbone of every business. And this is no exception in retail. Consider follow-up procedures that en­courage customers to come back. Make a genuine effort to treat second lime customers extra special. Remem­ber, customers will usually return if they: get what they want and need with the least amount of frustration (they find your location and store layout convenient) believe they have received good value for their money (they feel they have received high quality at a good price)

14) Get help with your advertising. Retailers, who have little or no experi­ence with advertising copy and media selection, should be wary of falling into the trap of thinking they can go it alone. Seek expert advice on what kind and how much advertising your estab­lishment really needs.

15) Gives your sales event or special promotion a "them." Below is a list of ideas and themes for naming special sales and promotion events:

At the Beach Sale Open House Back-to School Paris in the Spring Bargain Days

Pre-Christmas Christmastime Pre Spring Sale Columbus Day Pre-Thanksgiving Eastertime Father's Day Remembrance Day Fun in the Sun Secreiaries' Week Going Out ot Business Spring Cleanup Graduation Spring Clearance Halloween Springtime Happy Holidays Happy New Year Summertime Independence Day Thanksgiving January in June Travel June in January Vacation Fun Just Married Valentine's Day Manager's Sale Veterans' Day Midnight Madness Year End Clearance Mother's Day 48-Hour Madness

16) Keep a notebook near the cash register. Customers can be a great and inexpensive source of information.

They can tell you facts. not only about your business, but about your com­petitors as well. They can also tell you much about their buying habits and help you detect trends. Make it a habit of asking them what they like. need, and read. Jot down their re­quests and suggestions for new products and services.

17) Keep advertising cam­paigns lean and focused. When advertising dollars are limited, it is vital that your ef­forts be on target.

18) Keep facilities and mer­chandise clean. Making certain that your store and its merchandise are clean is an effective nonverbal way of telling customers that their business is appreciated and worth the extra effort.

19) Keep parking areas and walkways clean and lighted at all times. If your regional cli­mate brings harsh winter weather, be sure snow and Ice is removed whenever a problem to ensure customer safety. Dirty and unsafe areas create an unfavorable impres­sion, and worse, can lead to litigation.

20) Make good purchasing decisions. Purchasing mer­chandise to be resold repre­sents a large portion of the total oper­ating expenses for a retailer - the cost of goods sold is between 70 to 74 percent of sales. In light of this informa­tion, the important of intelligent pur­chasing should be clear to every small business owner.

Below are various strategies and methods you can adopt to help make good purchasing decisions.

• Analyze trends when selecting merchandise. Any method that can accurately determine buying trends can greatly aid your inventory choices.

• Analyze sales patterns to improve your ability to forecast sales.Forecasting sales allows you to make better Inventory purchases.

• Buy directly from manufacturer To avoid paying distributor mark-ups, buy from manufacturers. Manufacturers

often provide advanced dating of invoices, special allowances, information about market conditions, special POP displays, pre-ticketing of merchandise and free delivery.

• Contract the services of an independent buying house. Large retailing chains have buying offices strictly dedicated to finding good deals. However, small retailers who cannot afford to set-up such a branch, can instead contract out the services of a independent buying house. These firms consist of experienced buyers - and support staff - working on your behalf. They will search the marketplace or good deals: provide a steady stream of advice on new items, new sources, special promotion and the like; place orders for you; keep you abreast of changing consumer preferences, fashion and so forth: provide you with desk space and a telephone when you do come into town: and notify suppliers of your impending arrival.

The customary charge for their services runs about .5 to 1 percent of your stores' annual sales, most often payable In monthly installments. However, if your sales are too low. they may request a minimum fee and payment each month. Usually they'll require a signed agreement for the term

of one year, cancelable by either party.

• Contract out the services of a merchandise broker.Though far fewer in number than Independent buying offices, a second type of buying service that may be available to retailers is the merchandise broker. They'll place orders on your behalf and to a limited extent keep you informed of the latest market information. There's no charge whatsoever to the retailer. The merchandise broker earns commission from the manufacturers who receive the orders (commissions run generally from 2 to 5 percent).

Some retailers are attracted to the merchandise broker because the services are free. However, the services provided are far fewer than those offered by independent buying offices. The broker's primary responsibility is to sell goods for the companies that he or she represents.

• Hire a resident buyer.A resident buyer's job is to locate new products forhis or her customers who are generally large department stores or chain store operations. Resident buyers are located In most large cites, and you'll find a list of them under the heading, Resident Buyers in your local yellow pages.

• Regularly rate your suppliers. Ratethe quality of goods suppliers offer, variety carried, dependability of service, prices, production capacity, and special services offered.

• Strive to lower your 'cost of goods. "While you may not be able to do too much about the wholesale prices of merchandise offered to you for resale. you can frequently do better in areas such as quantity discounts, special allowances, terms, and so forth.

21) Make sure your employees understand that everyone contributes to successful marketing. All employees and departments contribute to the marketing of your company, ul­timately providing service to the customer - including the night janitor. If the floors of your establish­ment are not clean, customers notice.

• Observe the effectiveness of your sales people. Many lost customers complain of rude, discourteous or poorly informed salespeople. And being that one upset customer complains to an average of about 10 other people, its makes sense to monitor your customer's reactions to your sales personnel.

• Train your sales staff. Your sales staff should be well trained In the art of selling. If you're not sure how to train your staff, find out.

22)Monitor cus­tomer traffic patterns. Know­ing how customers move past displays and through your store can help you discover hot selling spots. This can be advantageous in planning future dis­plays in the hopes of increasing sales. One way of finding out this information is to look at your rug or tile for signs of wear. As well. keep track of which customer trashcans need to be emptied the most.

23) Monitor the seasons of the years and re­sulting sales pat­terns. Retailers must plan for the swell and fall of sales during different times of the year.

24)Organize your records into de­partments. A retailer that sells differ­ent types of merchandise with varying

gross margins and rates of turnover may find it more informative and effi­cient to organize his or her records by department. For example, a men's wear business could departmentalize by dividing shirts, suits, and accesso­ries into three different departments. Money coming in and going out may be entered in a departmental pur­chases and sales record as the basis of monthly departmental operating statements.

This above strategy help you determine which departments are the most profitable, as well as give you better control over purchasing, inven­tory, and emphasis on merchandising. Retail consultants suggest that de-partmenlalizing a store for control pur­poses is one of the most important moves a merchant can make.

25) Periodically rearrange the mer­chandise on your shelves. This strategy, especially useful for clothing and specialty food retailers can be used to pique Interest In new products and revitalize interest in old products. This strategy helps get customers who like to browse back inside your store for a second look.

26) Put top-quality more expen­sive items at eye level and lower-quality less expen­sive items below. This is a technique many stores use to encourage custom­ers to buy more expensive items or to help clear out old stock.

27) Recruit new staff carefully. Small retail outlets generally enjoy a good reputation for employer/employee rela­tionships. Nevertheless, obtain­ing and keeping good employ­ees has to be one of the more crucial elements of any retail establishment. Good employees can be a firm's greatest asset. In a small retail business. sales are directly related to how well customers get along with employees, and how well employees anticipate and serve customers' needs. Employee attitudes, appearance and ability can make or break a retail busi­ness. Furthermore, considering that they can be the biggesi single expense of doing business, Ihey deserve careful attention.

28) Regularly walk through your present or prospec­tive location and pretend you are a customer. Periodi­cally, try and forget everything you know about your business from an owner's point of view and look at it through the eyes of your customers. Ask your­self: Do you like what you see?

29) Solicit referrals from suppliers.Since suppliers depend on you for a substantial part of their busi­ness. chances are they will feel a sense of loyalty towards you and your company. In fact. since your success can lead to their success, they are often more than willing to help you find new customers, and can thus be­come one of the best places to look for new business. Remember the 80/20 rule - twenty percent of your customers provide eighty percent of your business. This rule works both ways. Just as you should be willing to treat your own regular customers extra special, your suppliers should be willing to do the same for you.

WINDOW/DISPLAY STRATEGIES

THE MAJORITY of retail firms rely on win­dow displays to attract the attention of pe­destrians, to hook their interest, and induce them to enter their store. Once inside, shoppers are then en­couraged to make purchases through effective selling on the part of sales clerks, aided by additional interior displays. While a detailed treatment of this important area is beyond the scope of this chapter. the basics will be touched upon.

Always keep your displays of high quality. Shoppers will regard your store­front and show windows as the face of your retail business. Therefore, your window treatments should always convey the exact

impression of quality, style, and distinctiveness you want to project.

Build up a stock of window base ma­terials. Window bases (platforms) are usually covered with appropriate materials which contribute to the overall effect of the display - satins, netting bur­lap. paper, artificial grass mats, and so forth. The retailer should build up a stock of such materials, over time.

Change your window displays frequently. Whether you engage the services of a professional win­dow trimmer or do the displays yourself, your windows should be changed frequently. At least ten to fifteen changes each year is recommended.

Coordinate displays with special community projects. Window displays used for community projects often create good will. Art galleries or individual collec­tors may lend interesting objects to help build a display.

Coordinate your displays with holi­days, special events, special promo­tions and the seasons of the year.

Coordinate your displays with Christmas. Valentines Day, Spring Break. Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day or the begin­ning of the new school year. Also, coordi­nate your displays with special year-end sales, company anniversaries and birth­days. Furthermore, in selecting appropriate merchandise to put into your window, pay careful attention to whether it is fall. winter, spring or summer or the season just around the comer. Don't for example, dis­play bathing suits during the winter and skis during the summer. However, a spring fashion display might be a real atlenlion getter at the end of a long winter.

Design your display window to suit your image and reflect your target market's tastes and atti­tudes. Most likely, you will use your window displays to attract people inside by informing them about what you sell, advertising good deals. and creating new product aware­ness. However, if you sell high quality clothing you might use your display windows chiefly as an image builder.

Keep displays clean, neat and Simple.A crowded display creates clutter and confusion. Create 'breathing space between merchandise groupings. Less is more.

Keep displays well lit. it takes only two to four seconds to pass a six or eight-foot window. Therefore, the display not only has to be eye-catching, but also must be well lighted day and night. Good daytime lighting avoids shad­ows that dull a display.

Make sure sufficient displayed merchandise is available to sell to customers. There's no point displaying an item you have only a few in stock, unless you're trying to clear it out.

Prepare all materials ahead of time. Merchandise, materials, display stands, signs or posters, mannequins and any other items required, should be carefully selected and prepared ahead of time so that the window can be completely trimmed within a few hours time.

Use color groupings in your displays.Color is an essential ingredient of a dis­play. Color combinations used in your display window should be at­tractive and harmonious.

Use lighting to draw attention to key items. Spot lights or neon signs can be used to highlight spe­cial items.

Use special effects. Motion, mu­sic and sound can be used in con­nection with your display to draw attention to your window e.g., motion can be im­parted to a section of your display through the use of a small electric turntable.

Use themes. Window displays are gener­ally more effective when built around a single, unifying theme, such as a Back-to School. Mother's Day. Christmas, or Vaca­tion Fun & Travel.

COMMON MISTAKES OF SMALL RETAILERS

MANY SMALLER, independent merchants tend to make mistakes that fall into a common pattern. Generally, these mis­takes are caused by laxity. Here are some of the maior retailing trouble spots identified by Alberta mer­chants:

Bad Credit Verification - The number of businesses that have failed because of offering credit to customers unwisely is legendary. Be impersonal when granting credit, ao not let friendship or the pros­pects of a good sale blind you to the prob­lems of collection. Follow up quickly when customers do not make payments as agreed. Review you accounts periodically to determine their status. Establish a cheque cashing policy.

Delay in Taking Markdown - Small retailers tend to linger too long before clearance on slow sell­ers. Earlier clearances bring smaller losses - and new cash with which to start afresh. Markdowns should be used as a promotional tool, and not solely as a clearance device.

Duplication in Buying - Commonly seen is the wasteful overlapping of similar and competitive lines. This "spread buying" is an effort to be covered in everything, but at the sacrifice of depth in anything. This leads to cosily markdowns.

Failure to Comparison Shop - Com­parison shopping is a "must" in planning advertising as well as merchandising. A store's reputation for good value is harmed if it advertises as a bargain what others are selling at a lower price.

Failure to Control Operating Costs - Every dollar added to costs is a dollar taken from profits. Many smaller merchants fail to keep good check of their operating costs.

Falllure to Keep Alert to Industry Trends - All business may be local, but all local businesses are eventually affected by national trends. National trends eventu­ally converge upon the local scene and bear important influence.

Failure to Recognize the Market –Few stores, usually the largest, can serve eve­rybody. Small stores are more effective In catering to distinct groups, such as cus­tomers having special tastes or Interests. nearby householders, nearby business people. Less inventory is required when owner/managers appeal to select groups. Advertising also be­comes easier and more effective. and personnel problems reduced by specialization.

Failure to Take Discounts or Take Advantage of Co-Operative Adver­tising - The losses from failure to take discounts or to cash in on co-operative ad­vertising can create significant losses from net profit.

Failure to Use Interior Displays -Bright and allractive interior display invite impulse buying. Have merchandise easy to see and to reach.

High Employee Turnover - Employee turnover can be an expensive and harmful ongoing problem with retailing. At­tention needs to be paid to devel­oping and maintaining an experi­enced and satisfied staff that can be depended upon.

Inadequate Inventory Control - Once recorded inventory controls are lost or out of hand, chaos can and of­ten does set in. This can lead to doing business with broken stock that leads to Inevitable markdowns and shaved profits. It is vital that merchants use an inventory control system in disciplined form.

Inadequate Lighting - This can apply to windows or interiors or both. The result is a dismal and drab atmosphere that dulls customer attraction and conveys a shabby look that reflects upon the store.

Inadequate Record Keeping - This is one of the prime sins of omission of many smaller merchants. Account­ing records should provide a vast (und of valuable guidance on what is selling, prices, trends, costs. profits, etc.

Inconsistency of Advertising -A surprising number of smaller merchants operate with little or no advertising budget or expenditure, or when ads do run. they are inconsistent, spur-or-the moment, often poorly executed and ineffectual in results. This lead to the false conclusion that advertising does not pay.

Infrequency of Window Changes -With the exception of two or three maior seasonal opening, window changes are erratic an infrequent, despite the fact that windows are the main traf­fic stopper and the strongest im­pulse-buying factor. It helps to be imaginative in designing window displays.

Lack of Planned Promotions -The planned promotion is a vital or­gan of a successful retail business today. It is advisable to supplement your routine, day-by-day selling op­erations with special promotions. A successful promotion is a total package of efforts - ads, displays, mailings, gimmicks and fanfare.

Laxity in Store Modernization - Unat­tractive fronts, dismal interiors and care­less displays will inevitably point to an un­successful operation.

No Planned Calendar of Opera­tions - Very few retailers plan a six month, much less an annual, calen­dar of operations involving promo­tions. merchandising ideas, inven­tory. etc. Rather, the business is re­duced to a day-by-day and week-by-week operation.

Poor Sizing Up-The absence of disciplinary system or policy in filling missing sizes or items quickly and methodically.

Store Image - Too many smaller retailers regard "store image" as a nebulous idea,yet these same merchants will accept the concept of "reputation." Actually there is little difference, except that 'Store image" is something you deliberately design, de­velop and establish.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1091