BUILDING BETTER RETAIL FOR ONE OF CANADA’S OLDEST INDUSTRIES
Why would you ever walk into a store to buy something? Once you’ve experienced the exhilarating rush that is next-day shipping, why would you do anything else?
The answer doesn’t have anything to do with what you’re shopping for, and everything about the store itself. When a store is doing things right, when everything is operating the way it should, there’s no replacing the human experience of inperson shopping. With home improvement, building supplies, and lumber, the advantage of being there, seeing, feeling, even smelling the merchandise makes that online cart icon pale in comparison. (And let’s face it – your computer mouse isn’t going to tell you that you’re buying the wrong type of hinges and will have to ship them back as soon as they arrive.) So, the human connection is key, but what else? That’s where companies like Burlington Merchandising & Fixtures (BMF) come in. Recently, Western Retail Lumber Association (WRLA) president Liz Kovach sat down with BMF president Sarah Hounslow and Marc Atiyolil of the Marc & Mandy Show to talk about how business owners that want to thrive in today’s digitally driven, instant gratification world need to lean into that in-person advantage.
Samples and pop-up displays cannot only help businesses close the sale but they can, just by being out on display, convince a customer to purchase a different, better product (often one that’s more profitable, too!) As Marc suggests, “If you sell siding, why not build a shed that showcases your different siding?” In addition to pop-up displays, thinking about the way your business operates can help improve your profitability as well. “When you go through all the categories that you carry in your store,” says Hounslow, “you really need to decide which categories you want to be competitive in, and then do well in those categories. But sometimes you get stuck in the day-to-day and don’t have that.” WRLA has partnered with BMF for their upcoming Building and Hardware Showcase. The two-day event takes place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and attracts over 1,500 exhibitors and retailers from across Canada each year. The theme for this year’s show is “Building Better Retail,” and Sarah and her team will be on-site, talking to attendees about bringing the retail store of the past roaring into an engaging, profitable future. – Western Retail Lumber Association Inc., www.wrla.org
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