By Moe Lastfogel Director of Sales and Marketing for The Retail Observer Let’s face facts: consumers want something special. Sure, they’ll come to you for a replacement dishwasher or washing machine when it breaks, but when they are shopping for an upgrade, they want it to be special. Whether it’s a range, refrigerator, or hood, they want the best their money can buy. This you already know, and with the right product mix and services, you can make all your clients feel special when they come to your store. But what else will make you special to them? What you are selling today that will be there tomorrow for you to sell? Appliances, furniture, and electronics are three of the consumables that are sold online, yet consumers still want to see and touch before they purchase. Brick and mortar retailers in the independent channel are the most viable option for consumers to get the best buying experience. That’s you! Tomorrow brings a different shopper — a more tech savvy, more educated consumer who definitely wants that special product that they have researched on the world wide web. Your competition (Big Box stores) are now giving away delivery and install to try to get an advantage, since they can’t compete with the kind of service an independent can give. You have to give them better. Better service, better options, and knowledge equal to (or better) than their own. This month is Buy Fair month, and as an independent retailer you need to be at your group’s event. If you don’t belong to a group, it’s time to join. The programs, education, and knowledge you can gain from one are priceless. New opportunities in products, services, and partnerships will assist in giving you that special edge not seen at the competition. You owe it to yourself, your company and most of all your clients. I hope I see you there. Be Special and Happy Retailing, Moe Lastfogel [email protected]
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By Moe Lastfogel Director of Sales and Marketing for The Retail Observer As we worked on this issue, many memories popped into my mind about the last 10 years: the economy crashing just as we took the reins of The Retail Observer, getting the word out to clients, associations, trade shows, and buying groups about who Eliana and I were, letting them know about our plans for the magazine, and nding the right people to work with to make The Retail Observer what it is today. It seems all the early efforts have paid off. Those 10 years at the helm of the magazine has brought us to where we are today. But, what’s up next? Well, we anticipate another successful and rewarding decade! As we go forward in this journey, we again will be looking to our current partners to bring you the magazine content that you, our readers, have grown accustomed to — the news, education, and features that make us a resource in the industry. But we won’t stop there. As the industry grows, your clients’ needs and dreams are also growing, and we plan to grow along with them. As we work on the upcoming year of 2018, we are planning with our partners to bring you new products, new writers, and new opportunities to assist you in the growth and maintenance of your organizations. Since all the Ts haven’t been crossed or the Xs signed yet, I can’t let the cat out of the bag, but I will say it’s going to be an exciting future. Most of all, I would really like to thank Eliana in believing in my dream to take on The Retail Observer and for her guidance and hard work along the way. Without her support, this “news rag” couldn’t have grown into the publication it is today. I’d like to thank Terry, with whom I have worked with for over 15 years, for her patience with deadlines and for helping create a visually-pleasing magazine that now sits on table tops in some of the highest-end design and retail showrooms throughout the world. To Michelle, thank you for the great website you have created and to Vmags Media for keeping the digital version on the cutting edge. And to you, our readers, manufacturers, associations, PR agencies, buying groups and trade shows — thank you for a great 10 years. I look forward to working with all of you going forward. Happy Retailing, Moe Lastfogel [email protected] |
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December 2021
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