John’s Blog

The Czech retailers have a special skill when it comes to Christmas decorations in shops. They rely on traditional and local props and use them in different ways. For example they take Birch twigs and spray them in different colours. To see Christmas trees decorated with purple sprayed Birch twigs is simple and effective. With many retailers seeing 30% of their sales taking place in the lead up to Christmas,

I was walking through a crowed train station on Friday in London and all of a sudden a women started singing opera. Then the whole station came alive as actors around the station started singing. The commuters were all of a sudden on a stage. The next day I was at the Gloucester Victorian Market. Whilst there a Victorian urchin stole an apple and was chased by a policeman dressed

I have just presented a paper at a French Retail Conference. One of the other speakers was Lisa White, Trend Specialist. Lisa mentioned that the key trend for 2012 and onwards is cosyness. This means smaller products presented in a cosy way. Be prepared to get cosy and select cosy products.

I often mention QR Codes in my presentations and how valuable they are to retailers. In the Globe and Mail for Canada on 23rd November was an article entitled “From your Smartphone to the big screen”. Research company Stratacache Inc from Ohio showed that there has been a 60% increase in suppliers using QR Codes in the last six months. The research shows that they are used extensively by consumers

I am an advocate of merchandising at an angle when you have a linear retail design as I believe it slows the consumer down, increases the average sale and improves the ambience of the store. My theory has now been supported by Nick Moore, the CEO of the Conran Shop. In a recent article in Retail Week in the UK he said “You learn not to merchandise anything straight on

Now that we are getting used to online shopping, the online shopping companies are popping up on Main Street. eBay have opened a store in Dean Street in London and in New York and they plan to keep them open until Christmas. Customers need a smart phone if they plan to shop. The consumer looks at the product ,scan the QR Code and then purchase the products online. These shops

When I left Canada the other day I had to use the self check in to get my ticket at the airport. I have just been to Sainsbury’s in the UK supermarket and with some hesitation I went to the self check out desk with my goods. Self checkouts in retailing have been around in the USA since around 2005. In Australia they are still looked at as a new

The key to retailing and marketing is to stand out. Take a traditional idea and do it in a different way. The Christmas tree is a traditional icon. At St Pancras railway station they have always had the traditional Christmas tree in the foyer. The same again this year. A 12 metre high tree dominates the foyer. But this year it is a Lego tree complete with lights. The local

I love simple retail ideas. I discovered this one in Canada. A store has a policy of if they see a male and female partner shopping and the women looks at product, but fails to purchase of simply taking a company business card and passing it discretely to the male partner as a Hint card. On the card they mention their partner was showing interest in a specific product and

A few months ago Marks and spencers revealed they were going to redesign the inside of their stores at a cost of 600 million pound. This was exciting news for a depressed retail environment. In the UK Daily Telegraph on 22 November it was announced how this would be financed. Each supplier will be billed a levy of 1.3% as a “strategy for growth” on their annual sales to the

November saw the release of a report by Symphony IRI Group in the USA that showed over half of consumers are now eating out less and cooking more at home. Clearly this is an opportunity for some retailers and a challenge for others. Some of you will be old enough to remember the original Betty Crocker cookbook and recipes plus the Pillsbury man that came from the General Mills stable.

In presentations I talk about the power of the 35 to 40 year old consumer. These are often mothers with young kids and we all know that what mother says must be true. Research shows that what mothers use and recommend as parents are often taken up as products used by the next generation. Mothers are powerful marketers. Business marketers are using this? In Canada, Mom Central Canada Marketing Consultancy

In my presentations I discuss how advertising has become less effective for retailers due to lack of trust. This week the Canadian Advertising Standards released a report which actually puts some figures to my argument. These results are Canadian and I will leave it to you to decide whether Canadians are different to the rest of us; 39% of those surveys believe Adverts are misleading and exaggerate the virtues of

The snow is on the ground and it is minus 10 Centigrade outside. The middle of November and the winter has arrived in Alberta. This creates a challenge for many retailers and in an upcoming Blog I will show you how one street, Whyte Avenue in Edmonton has set about making a difference. The next few weeks are critical for many retailers. 30% of the sales that take place in

Research carried out in Canada shows that in the lead up to Christmas the average Canadian shopper will spend 8 hours buying presents in a shopping mall and 5 hours buying presents online. This emphasises the need for an online retail prescience!

This thought comes from a cloudy and miserable weather day in London. Companies around here are now getting geared up as sponsors for the Olympic games next year. It identifies how important it is for retailers to get behind a cause. You may not be able to support an event like the Olympics, but what local events can you get behind as a sponsor?

The second week of November and John Lewis the UK department store are seeing a 50% increase in the sale of Chirstimas trees over this time last year. Is this an indicator of a busy Christmas trading period or consumers are spreading their spending over a longer period? The next few weeks will let us know. In Singapore the sign “Limited Edition” is being used a catch the consumers eye.

It is now three years since the GFC became a common acronym in the English language. Prior to that as business we were riding the wave of success. The initial reaction of most retailers was to discount product o get them through the crisis. It would surely not last more than a year. Three years later and the economies of the world are still on the edge. One thing that

Sunday 20th November was National Stir day and Delia Day according to the UK supermarket Waitrose. This is the first time I have come across a retailer working with a celebrity and announcing a National Day. The Delia day is to do about Christmas cakes. Baking is the new trend hobby and making a Christmas cake is the ultimate hobby this year. Delia has come to the rescue with a

In my White Paper that was released in August and is available for our webpage I have mentioned that retailers in the future need to be seen as part of the community and engaging the community. I was recently in Ontario giving a presentation at Niagara Falls Convention Centre, the chair to my meeting was the owner of Country Baskets Garden Centre in the city and when I discussed community

This is not just another Monday, it is day that could change the mind set of retailers around the world. Switch on the news and you will hear about the financial crisis in Europe or America and the knock on affect around the world. Customers are cautious and not spending. What is the answer, have a sale? In previous articles I have mentioned this before and that it is not

This was the heading to an article written by Sada Ayupova in the Budapest Business Journal while I was in Hungary last week. GfK Hungaria, a research company was commenting on the retail scene in Hungary. The retail scene in this country is healthier than many companies and I admire the initiative of young Hungarians at present. But ,this report could have been written in any country. Quote from a

Many of my presentations at present are based on the Bricks and Clicks strategies retailers need to be aware of. If bricks retailers do not get into clicks strategies they may have an uncertain future. “Click and Collect” is one of the strategies that need to be considered by retailers. It is therefore interesting to read in the Thursday September 8th edition of the Daily Mail in the UK that

Every expert has a view on selling. I recently received this blog from Murray Barton, a newsletter member, and it is an excellent description on what selling is all about and I thought it was worth sharing. It has some great guidelines for all of us. http://bostinnovation.com/2011/08/24/how-to-sell-tips-from-a-marketing-guy-who-can-actually-sell-something/

It has been twelve months since my last took a walk down this excellent retail street in Chicago. I was interested to see what has changed. The crowds are still there, the floral displays look as excellent as they have always done. The retailers, well many had not moved on. The inevitable sale syndrome was ever present, but some retailers caught my eye and have identified a point of difference.