Opinion
kbb Birmingham 2018 Show Special
How to… add value by selling a lifestyle
Graham Jackson, managing director of Bell Northampton, on why retailers need to identify their target demographic and inspire them to want to visit their store
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imply selling kitchens and bathrooms well is no longer enough. To truly engage with today’s consumer, retailers need to offer much more.
When I was younger, retailing was easy. High streets dominated. Stores, and to a lesser degree catalogues, were the only place to purchase goods and the internet, smartphones, tablets and online shopping were just newfangled things that many believed would have no impact on bricks and mortar shops. Well, the consumer journey has changed and this affects all retail markets. No customer arrives in-store now without having thoroughly researched products, prices and compared different retailers. All customers are using social media to pass comment and appraise the things they like, do or see. To survive in this modern, chaotic market, shops
have to change too. Simply unlocking your store and waiting for a customer is not enough – your store has to be a place people choose to visit. Lifestyle retailing is all the rage at the moment and one of the buzzwords of the year is what the Danish call ‘hygge’ – roughly defined as feeling happy, comfortable, special or content. This does not necessarily need to be luxurious living – just simple or ordinary things made special. Around four years ago, I joined the kitchen and bathroom industry as an outsider. A background in music retailing and luxury furniture, gave me an insight into the customer base, but my knowledge of the market was gained from visiting stores across the UK. The shops I visited were drab and functional, but lacking inspiration, energy or creativity. Reflecting back at the Bell store in Northampton, I recognised that, despite our larger size, Bell was similar. Here I was, working for a business that had been at the cutting edge of design since the 1920s, and we had become safe. So what exactly is lifestyle retailing? Well, like hygge, it is about giving the customer a reason to visit your store. It’s about
feelings and emotions and creating a place that people want to visit.
This embraces all sizes and shapes of store. There are some great examples of this in all categories of retailing and one of my favourites is very local to me. The Nest at No.9 in Olney, Buckinghamshire, is a smallish home and gifting store that is special. The enterprising owners scour fairs and shows across Europe to ensure a unique and ever-changing offer, which is backed up by enthusiastic and knowledgeable service every time.
Does your showroom captivate customers in the same way?
Bell embraced this idea fully. It became a key part of our ‘vision’ and underpins all our product or category plans. Our primary target is a female 40 to 50-year-old AB1 customer and this influences everything we do. We understand our brand, what it stands for and how it is brought to life by what we sell and how we sell it.
How did we do this? • Initially, we created a clear vision for our business, involving our team, getting their ideas and input and being clear what our brand was and who we were trying to attract? • We then looked at what we were offering with fresh eyes – those of our target customer. Were we on-trend? Did the displays excite us? Did we change things frequently enough to create interest? • We changed whole areas of our store. Suppliers were supportive, as they knew that we were likely to increase sales. • We concentrated initially on selling more of our original offer to existing customers – better merchandising and service was the main focus. Next we started looking at new products and offers that were empathetic to our core kitchens, bathrooms and fires – interior design, lighting, toiletries and
14 kbbreview kbb Birmingham Special Edition March 2018
We understand our brand, what it stands for and how it is brought to life by what we sell and how we sell it
skincare, etc. Everything we display is for sale. • We bring our store to life with regular events and demonstrations. • We engage with our customers via social media – Twitter, Facebook, Houzz, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. This is essential as our clients are immersed in social media. Our objective is to consistently deliver the ‘one- stop lifestyle store’ message, by showcasing new ideas, products, trends and completed projects. Finally, retailing is very volatile at the moment and
external factors, such as Brexit, create the potential for even more uncertainty. So don’t rest on your laurels – look again at your showroom, consider fresh approaches to the way you merchandise, additional products you can stock, the routes you take to market and the media you are using. If you don’t, your competitors will.
I hope you all find your own personal hygge.
• Graham Jackson will be speaking at the kbbreview Retail & Design Conference, see pages 8-9 for the full programme
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