Price Edwards & Company asked me to write an editorial for their 2012-Mid Year Retail Market Survey of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area. I happily accepted. Below is my article. To read the full report (which I highly recommend), visit the Retail Market page on Price Edwards’ website and click download latest retail summary. Changing the Conversation to Community The last two years of retail marketing have been a death spiral of sales tactics. Through the recession, retailers continued to dig deep holes in their pricing in an...
read moreI’m happy to announce another Oklahoma Retail Breakfast! If you are an independently owned retailer in the OKC Metro, please join us. This is a one-hour meeting to focus on one small topic that affects small retail (like PR, branding, social media) and bond over the shared experience of being a local retailer. During our first OK Retail breakfast last summer, Mary Ann Osko, owner of Osko Communications walked us through public relations basics. This time around, we will be joined by a consulting team that I have personal experience...
read moreWhen you aren’t available to market your shop personally, your windows do the talking. What are they saying? Are you writing a visual story? What mood does your seasonal product evoke? How does that compliment your shop’s philosophy? For Holiday 2011, Black Optical installed modern trees illustrating vintage Christmas ads from the 1950′s. Not only did these windows coincide with current eyewear trends, they also evoked a glamourous feeling, reminiscent of holidays in previous eras. Not every window needs to be a statement...
read moreAll the Authenticity May Be Getting Old by Emily Weinstein I found this article to be an interesting read. Mainly because I don’t think it applies to homeowners as much as it does to retailers. Reflect on whether putting your personality on every store fixture, tag, sign, or display is causing kneejerk reactions from customers. Considerations… Are you wanting to grow your market, but find that you can’t expand past a very niche group of customers? What will make your shop more approachable to new tastes and interests?...
read moreTake a few minutes to read this article from the Wall Street Journal: Why are Fitting Rooms so Awful? Security, cleanliness and lighting are my three top priorities, in that order.
read moreThe popularity of programs like Groupon and Living Social entice business owners to question the appropriateness of these programs for their business. I’ve analyzed the benefits of participating in these programs for several clients. A few things I consider when advising: Can the target market for the program afford your products/services on a regular basis without the extreme discount that the program provides? If they can’t, are you expanding to include them? (Adding a lower price point product?) Consider how these customers...
read moreFor most retailers in the Midwest (that don’t sell ice scrapers, bread, milk, or snowsuits), winter season can be slow due to weather. As in, not-a-single sale-for-several-days bad… ouch! When you know bad weather or a slow week is on its way, start planning to make the most of your inopportune downtime. Compile a list of Thank You cards that you need to write. Why not pick a few special customers and send them a personalized note with small gift card that they can use to kick-start their spring shopping? Plan, create and schedule your...
read moreMany national brands have or have had celebrity spokespmodels… Taylor Swift and Ellen for Cover Girl, Marilyn Monroe for Chanel, David Beckham for Armani, and the latest… Katie Holmes for Ann Taylor. What about your store/brand? Who is your spokesmodel? Yes, I know, Taylor Swift probably won’t be interested in posing for your commercials or advertisements, but your local indie band might. What about a blogger that visits your store? Or a realtor that could add a few of your store’s accessories to a staged home? Don’t lose track of...
read more*Allison’s former Twitter account was @allisonallioppe. Follow her on her new account: @shopcrawlr. I wouldn’t be writing about this interaction unless the outcome was drastically different than my interaction with VW. Thanks to Cox Communications for providing an example of good social media customer service. I tweet: Does anyone know how to change how Cox DVR cuts off the last 30 seconds of my shows? With Tivo, I could always adjust before/after time… CoxNicky replies: @allisonAllioppe Hi Allison – I noticed your tweet. Were...
read more*Allison’s previous Twitter ID was @allisonallioppe. Follow her on her current id, @shopcrawlr. I wasn’t. Here’s how the situation went down: Oklahoma City was participating in Fashion’s Night Out (#FNO) on Friday, September 10th. Determined to visit every participating store that night, I headed out in my VW Jetta. After stopping at approximately 12 stores, I parked at the French Cowgirl. When I finished grabbing a few photos, I attempted to start my car and…nothing. The Jetta wouldn’t even make a noise. I lamented...
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