Extracts from Tim Radley’s 5-star book…
‘Meaning in the Retail Madness’
How to become an Essential Retailer.
The single physical channel was relatively easy for retailers to control. At the very least they knew where, and roughly when, they were going to ‘come into contact’ with the customer. And they knew it was on their patch. It was on their terms, under their rules. The retailer held all the cards.
The internet, e-commerce and the moving to new channels has changed that completely. The proliferation of retail possibilities has just added to the complexity. It has also accelerated the loss of control that traditional retailers once enjoyed. The stability of power, based on the buying and selling of product, has crumbled away.
The complexity behind multiple touchpoints, has also magnified the range of skills, expertise, and tools required to be competent, proficient, and to excel across channels. Best practice has managed to buy-in, and evolve internally, many of these skills and processes.
However, even the most successful have concluded that some of the more specialist pieces of the skill-set jigsaw cannot be developed easily, and cost-effectively, within the business itself. The multi-touchpoint retail environment has necessitated a new Age of Collaboration.
Mastering the ‘six stages of the buying process’ is still at the core of keeping customers happy. It is just that ‘discover, select, pay, collect, receive & return’ just got a lot more complicated to fulfil.
This complexity is behind the need to collaborate. The evolution, and revolution, of the six stages has given the customer unbelievable choice and flexibility in how they carry out their retailing activities. The retailer needs to respond.
It is symptomatic of the shift to saturated markets, with supply outstripping the demand, that retail businesses are now embarking on ever more flexible ways to satisfy the elusive customer. To build custom and loyalty. They must, and they are, ‘bending over backwards’ to accommodate the customer at every twist and turn of the retail journey.
Retailers are ‘losing face.’
To cover all the necessary touchpoints that your customer demands from you, as retailers you are going to have to rely on more touchpoints which are owned by your collaborators. Possibly more than you own yourselves.
And when it comes to ‘face-to-face’ interaction with your customers there is an ever-increasing chance that the customer will be interacting with the face of your collaborator, and not your own carefully crafted and branded face.
The probability at least for now, is that the interaction of customers will remain mainly with touchpoints that you own, and as a result the ‘face-to-face’ interaction will be with your brand. However, one of the most rapid areas of development which is really ‘turning the retail tables’ is where digital interface collaborators who are currently only selling your product, are also becoming the distributors of your product.
These familiar, and unfamiliar, partners are now also the delivery face to the customer. Literally at the customer’s door.
This is not new if we consider wholesale partners in the physical world. But in a digital world retailers are facing the prospect of being relegated to product suppliers in a sea of customer touchpoints over which they may have very little control.
Extract taken from Chapter 3:
How to excel in Astute Strategies
I have written this book for anyone who wants to consider the alternatives to the familiar,
misguided and destructive retail strategies that many retailers still persevere with.
Retail leaders & professionals, commercial entrepreneurs & accidental retailers, consumer brands, shop owners, managers & colleagues,
product suppliers, growers, manufacturers & craftspeople, landlords, designers, social marketers and informed customers.
It’s not all about plaudits, but it is nice when people leave kind reviews.
“Insightful read – highly recommend. Detailed read with lots of helpful illustrations, practical advice and case studies that bring the key learnings to life without being too theoretical or heavy.
Tim clearly has bags of experience in retail to share with the reader, I’ve learnt a lot about disrupting the business and being an essential retailer!.”
Sarah G.
Amazon.fr
“5.0 out of 5 stars This book is more relevant now than ever. As the title alludes to, even with 25 years of retail design experience, this book is an essential must have. A life time of experience packaged in a clear, simple and methodical way.
Many publications about this subject tend to be whimsical speculation, but founded on front-line experience this book collates relevant/current case studies and pairs them with simple action plans and guidelines.”
Jolyon N.
Amazon.com
“Expert but accessible, a book for everyone. I’d recommend everyone from buyers to shop assistants to read this book. I really liked its structure, which starts by looking at the retail environment today, then at the organisations themselves and then the strategies they undertake. It’s completely logical. There is a good depth of knowledge, but it is explained clearly and very visually so it’s interesting at any level. The illustrations and diagrams are also amazing! I now feel more informed as a shopper – thank you so much.”
Alice R.
Amazon.com
“Invaluable read and resource! This book is not just for reading though!
This is a great resource book, full of considered industry insights, and is really useful for enhancing staff training and engagement: currently doing the rounds with my colleagues at the ‘shop face’! … thoroughly recommended”
Celia L.
Amazon.com
‘Meaning in the Retail Madness’
“Wonderful Read !!” – Sarah R.
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