Stand Out Retailing

heres our take on retail operations based on our experience Which should enable retailers to standout in some ways ::

U walk into a retail operation job from Consumer durables ,thinking it should be easy , little does one realise the complexity off the role , one would assume that after a hard "Kitna number hua game" this should be an easy cup off tea ! well nothing can be further from the truth ...at least 6 years back the retail operations scenario was as follows . Retail operation surely is on off the key to success as all the startegy thats been discussed , the execution has to happen thru this departement so getting this act right is important .The first thing that hits one in the retail operation role is the .....

People Fear Factor :: As u would soon realise ur performance on the retail FLOOR is dependent on too many factors beyond your CONTROL , and the most complicated and important one being People .Retail is all about people your Customers or your staff , you get Your act right on this ,then most off the other issues like Location /merchandise etc gets taken care off .Getting ur act right is like asking one to do a quick sprint on to Mt Everest impossible according to me ! as whatever you do to ensure morale is up ,people get their incentives etc the great urge on moving out preferably into a newer industry or domain is always at the back off the mind . For instance when the call centre wave started , retail lost lot off experienced staff , then lost to telecom , am sure must be losing to other industry too . The trick off managing an ever leaking bucket is to have atleast a set off good must retain staff who would lend continuity to the team in spite off the attrition ! These are members whom i call PILLARS OFF THE FLOOR , they act as a solid foundation , this works very well at the front end . People People People People is the mantra in retail ! The HR Team in any Retail operations is constantly doing only thing that is recruitment , when they get the time out from this ,efforts on recognition / honor /contests /etc works well too among the staff . We used to be told that its all about Smile at a customer and Smile your ways to their hearts , its easier said than done , the retail operation role with its complexities hardly allowed one to think of Smiling , however hard u believed in Smiles ! People can make or break the retail operations , tight control on process laid down is must otherwise one could see that with help off the staff , merchandise /stocks could go out off stores in terms off pilferage's /there could be serious customer issues , plus off course there would be always someone in the set up thinking off breaking the rules /process , u need to be one step ahead always otherwise , u would be hit , as we were ! Big teams Size :Managing aspirations /issues for Big teams ( which is the case with most retail operations ) is a BIG BIG challenge as a head off retail operations one would face almost daily , this is a great learning ground too . Getting the right balance between being tough and being lenient is necessary , as you would soon realise that the STICK policy doesn't work positively ,always ! so it has to be Stick + carrot + Pillars on the floor that will get u somewhere on this front ,other wise its a constant fear factor , off whether u have the right people managing ur business or not !

Customer is not a Ghost !! ! Unlike most other businesses where the customer is virtually a ghost !seen by most marketers and sales teams rarely , and when the customer comes in front in most industry it drives a chill in the spine off most , this is one industry in which the customer stares at you daily , how do we meet the expectations off the customers / how do we deliver the best experience ( with the people issue always boiling on ) , there would be days in which u will suddenly have a spurt off customer entry but the majority off the team would be on leave !u will lose sales for the day plus maybe customers forever !The customers can be bound with amazing loyalty by having a loyalty program, dont know whether it actually drives in traffic now ,( it used to be great tool to drive traffic earlier , guess each retailer has a card these days )but making customers feel wanted helps . For instance the idea off an one day preview for your loyalty program members before the EOSS( end of season Sale) starts ,was a good idea but we added punch to it by giving all the elite customers a car wash , early breakfast , morning newspaper , plus hot tea and exclusive escorts for the higher end customers to take them around . So loyalty works, but you add with this Great Customer service recovery then you have a great weapon in hand ,we were amazed to c the trend that whichever customer was involved in a customer service issue and there was a genuine effort to recover from the issue the customer would come back to your store again and again , so essentially customer loyalty ,managed well and great customer recovery with empowerment at the front end desk helps .

Retail Floor was a test lab ::Nothing works and shows results faster than on a retail floor , u conceive an idea implement it on the floor , u will get to the see the idea working or not working in a matter of hours , no other business gives u a chance to gauge product /promotion so instantly than a retail floor environment !

Thus if one were to summarise the stuff that helps one stands out .then here is what it is
1. Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Build off your strengths and work to improve your weaknesses. For example, if your store location is less than ideal, try to find ways to get people into your storefront without giving up on front window displays. You my need to reach beyond your store limits to draw in a crowd. It will take a combination strategy of your strengths and weaknesses to find a solution that is effective for your business goals.

2. Dare to be different. If you know what your audience wants and you are reaching your sales goals, great. But chances are there is room to improve. Think outside of the box and challenge yourself to be different in your positioning against your competition. This exciting change of the norm will create a buzz that keeps customers talking. To add extra excitement, tell the media what it is that makes you so different and daring – giving them a chance to tell your story. If you are truly doing something unique and daring, it will be a story worth being told.

3. Get your customers involved. Let your customers speak for you by telling the good, the bad and the ugly about your business. This will really help you get a real life perspective on what consumers think of your business. Don’t just listen to what they say, though, but react to it, as well. This may mean going outside your comfort zone - but that’s the goal. The changes you see as a result could be just what you need for your business.Also learn from all the customer issues that is the real moment of truth the learnings from these break downs is important and useful .

4. Give personal attention to customers and employees both.A happy employee will return their feelings with great customer service. In a marketplace filled with lousy customer service, your business will stand out with employees and customers both if you are giving out personal, respected attention in all your communication outlets. As a small business owner, this type of respect goes even further since people seem to “talk” all the time about what they love and hate. It will have a rippling effect on your business in no time.Retail is a people business finally , customers and employees

5. Stay up to date with the times.Too often stores and businesses get lost in their comfort zone from a time when they were cozy and happy – even if this time was 1990. Be realistic with what’s going on in the economy, with your competition, with your customers and then make it a point to stand out with time appropriate marketing strategies. This means do the expected – Twitter, Facebook, email marketing, special event and more – but also go above and beyond to really capture your consumer’s attention. How you go above and beyond will depend on your unique business and customer.

Finally – pull it all together. Effectively executing each mentioned step above can help you stand out in the marketplace. And remember – make it a point to re-address each of these issues time and time again to be consistent with the marketplace.Maybe all this is true for all/any business operations , what say ?