G DOING BETTER BUSINESS TW
US retail expert George Whalin sadly passed away on January 10th, 2012.
h“Great shops don’t G
Willem Bonneux pays tribute to retail expert George Whalin as part of a new series to improve your sales.
eorge Whalin spent 25 years as a retailer and 24 years as a retail consultant
in the US. Back on January 10th, he died
from complications following chemotherapy. He had been battling cancer since 2009. Whalin visited thousands of
shops, speaking to at least as many retailers. All of these experiences were bundled into two classic books on retailing – Retail Success and Retail Superstars. As both these books are chock-
full of insights and usable ideas for you to make your shop successful,
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and as a tribute to the author himself, this month’s ‘Doing better business’ feature is a Whalin special.
Being remarkable In both books Whalin kept emphasising that for an independent shop to survive and thrive it has to be a one of a kind from several points of view. It’s what Whalin called:
“Creating a retail destination.” T is is a shop where customers will make a special trip to. True shopping destinations are the retail equivalent of Michelin-starred restaurants.
Becoming a truly remarkable
retail destination requires a unique range of continuously changing and updated merchandise, having top-notch staff , a great interior, regularly hosting events and building your own brand, among others. According to Whalin: “Every
part of the customer experience should be pleasurably memorable. Customers should actually feel better when they leave your shop than when they came in. T e key is to keep wowing and surprising customers. T is keeps them coming back for more.”
Pick carefully Off ering a unique range of merchandise is not easy but really worth the bother. Your shop stands out with a range of products only available there. When you’re off ering products
every single other of your competitors is off ering, you’re just another shop. T e added benefi t of a unique
range of merchandise is also that customers have more trouble comparing prices for those products. Also aim to change and update the range on off er regularly. T is
appen by accident”
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