AGENT PROVOCATEUR
Price A
s a person who spends a great deal of time on the road there is one true sign that Easter is on its way. Chocolate eggs. Every petrol station, supermarket, corner shop and DIY shop have
them crammed from the rafters, all boasting fantastic offers like 2 for 80p, buy 2 get three free, buy a cuddly toy and 250 tea bags and get a box of 20 and so on. Whilst having such fantastic offers available to the consumer is easier on the pocket, someone somewhere is feeling the pinch (not between belt and waist) and I’m not sure if I feel that this is a healthy way to sell any product.
As the modern era stampedes it’s way through traditional practices,
price is now the “be all and end all” with all consumers driven to find the cheapest option. As far as footwear was concerned, I was always taught, that quality superseded price and buying cut-price shoes should always be the last thing to consider - with discounts being reserved for products that had something wrong with them (like the “yellow tickets” in the supermarket). I’ve spoken with many at length about this phenomenon and we can’t ascertain who is fundamentally to blame. I personally point the finger at Internet online shopping: with most website searches offering ‘price’, as well as ‘relevance’ sort facilities, there’s no wonder that we’re all looking for the cheapest option. So, where does this leave the footwear retailer? Should you cut your prices to remain competitive, should you go online? Well, I would argue yes and no. Consumers buy on familiarity: most brands and larger retailers invest a
great deal of time and money to ensure that you think of them when you think about a particular purchase. The same familiarity applies when buying online, however, as we all
know it can be a risky business. Therefore, if you have a high street shop and an online website, consumers from the surrounding area are more likely to buy from your website, than from one across the other side of the country. Plus, on the dodgy subject of returns, you can encourage returns to be dealt with in-store – with a replacement size available. This is where websites for smaller businesses are fantastic: they are a
great way of snaring new customers and opening trade with the community. However, on a negative point, I would also argue that footwear needs to
be fitted correctly and this can only be done in-store, and of course, with no-one’s foot being the same, there’s always likely to be problems with fit. If consumers encounter problems, it is your reputation that is at stake. The other thing I would always invest in is training. We need to show the
customer the benefits of the footwear first and substantiate why something is worth £10, £20 or £100 more. Sometimes the consumer may not realise what the footwear is made of and how it can perform. To ensure that the ‘sell through’ is maximised, staff training is therefore exceptionally important. We’ve all probably walked into a store and asked a member of staff a question, to then receive an ‘I don’t know’ in return. Rather than snare consumers with price, a well-informed member of
staff (with great product knowledge and training) will 8 times out of 10 make a sale: which also goes a long way towards building your own shops credibility, which leads to more ‘recommendations’ as they talk to their friends and the good old fashioned ‘word of mouth’ gets into gear. It’s simple things like this which I find tend to be forgotten as time marches on. Our industry is one that is not so great at communication. I recently
asked this magazine why there is not a ‘Letters’ page as their predecessor ‘Shoe & Leather News’ had one and it was always interesting to read. The answer was ‘we don’t get any’. But, I understand they do get emails, so things may be changing. It has a Best Sellers Panel, made up of Independent Footwear Retailers. Each month retailers email notification of their best selling brands and the results are published; there's also a Retailer Of The Month page, providing a platform for retailers to have their say about the industry. In other parts of the industry, however, a stony silence
I’ve spoken with many at length about this phenomenon and we can’t ascertain who is fundamentally to blame. I personally point the finger at Internet online shopping: with most website searches offering ‘price’, as well as ‘relevance’ sort facilities, there’s no wonder that we’re all looking for the cheapest option.
continues in various forms. Brands that for many years succeed because of a special USP for some strange reason ditch that USP to try something else because they think that what they are doing is ‘old hat’. They don’t see that the reason they are still around is because of that USP – perhaps it is taken for granted? Retailers that are struggling and need a bit of help tend to keep quiet and go into demise, rather than ask the media, or their suppliers, or an industry body for help. So what is the answer? How do we bring about closer working relationships? It is heartening to know that maybe things are about to change. Despite having an excellent trade press, we can now boast an excellent Award ceremony. The newcomers to the trade were privileged to see what the industry was like 20 years ago, with everyone getting together for a good night out. When the Trade Exhibition was held at Olympia the industry had a buzz, people communicated and socialised with one another, and then there was panic as it all ended. A brave young chap (David Wilkins) came along and resurrected the situation and today we have a great show – MODA and I think these new Awards will be the same – they will grow year on year and become the icing on the cake. Now we have another chance to talk to one another, stop being faceless and build closer relationships with one another. For me, events like Moda, the awards and traditional sales practices are
key to our industry and we should all support them, just as much as they support us.
14 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• MARCH 2012
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