Visual Thinking’s brand director Karl McKeever wrote the following piece in reply to this column on the Retail Week website.
My recent experiences of visiting the Big Apple are somewhat similar John, except my lasting perception was that whilst the number of store associates has declined in real terms, so too has the level of service, knowledge and overall effectiveness of the ones that do remain.
Sloppy retail standards, poor replenishment, disheveled cash desks with inefficient service queues and disgusting fitting room areas are now common place in many US brands that were once hailed as leaders within their sector.
Moreover, some of the brands, which our own clients used to refer to as benchmarks of retail delivery excellence, now frequently come up in conversation for the opposite reasons!
Of course, some of this has to be expected. Businesses in all sectors have been forced to look at costs and make cuts in delivery in recent times. However, I think all retailers need to consider the impact of these decisions on the customer and to their brands long term.
In many cases, cuts are inevitable following unsustainable periods of excess. In my experience, they can be necessary and even beneficial to help people refocus and get the right priorities in place.
This means management teams and people working instore have to be honest about what is or is not possible to provide and adjust their delivery processes, resources and activities accordingly.
The bottom line is that the customer has ALWAYS ‘voted with their feet’ in these situations, seeking maximum satisfaction and value. But now they are increasingly using their fingers, buying online.
If retailers hope to reverse the reduction in traffic in their retail stores, they cannot simply expect to keep getting more for delivering less.
Running attractive, well presented stores that provide good, effective service should not be seen as optional, but essential! John Lewis reminds us of how this can be used as an important differentiator and ‘value adding’ part of doing business to maintain customers, sales and profitability.
What’s more encouraging, is the crop of newer US brands and even established players with refocused management teams, i.e. J Crew, that are giving the old guard (Gap Inc.) a run for their money.
Whether any of this is actually any different to how things have always been and not just part of the business cycle of is the question. But certainly, the internet is a formidable new competitor for all to keep high in their sights.
