Programming … It’s Not Just for Computers

I was recently in Venice Beach, Calif., for some rest and recreational retail, and wandered into the Will Leather Goods Store on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. The visit was semi-intentional, as my daughter had declared about an hour earlier that she “has no belts,” so I thought perhaps I could remedy the situation.

The store interior was a strong attractor: very eclectic, appearing homey and outdoorsy all at once. I was allowed to peruse on my own for a stretch of 10 minutes or so, and then I was approached by one of the two young men working at the store. I was asked if I needed assistance, was shown where the sale items were and was offered tea (quality tea, too: Steven Smith – Jasmine, I believe). I was handed the tea in a real porcelain mug, as Tim, the person assisting me, mentioned unapologetically that they do not have “to-go” cups. It wasn’t that they had run out of them, it was that they did not use them. Normally, that would irritate me, but at this moment, I was fine with it – the joy of vacation is that you are on your own time, not someone else’s. A rare gift. He was very affable, and I came to discover that he was this store’s “brand ambassador.”

He shared with me the family-based business’s story, the founder’s roots from Detroit, and some of their cultural commitments. The latter entailed the gamut, from full utilization of hides to prevent waste to a backpack donation program that is essentially the backpack version of the Tom’s shoe donation model.

As I sipped my tea, Tim called my attention to some interesting art hanging on the store walls created by a local artist. Initially, I had thought the pieces to be some very creative visual merchandising, as they were comprised of various car parts (doors, hoods, etc.) with painted scenes applied directly to them. Tim told me a bit about the artist, and how the store had hosted an opening party for an exhibit during the previous weekend. He noted this kind of event is typical for them, and that they actively seek opportunities to partner with the local communities to which their stores belong to showcase local talent and to celebrate local events.

I was impressed by the level to which this retailer understood the path to successful retail, and how they instilled it in their store team. And it maintained consistency, as well, as I experienced the same level of hospitality (albeit a different flavor of Smith’s tea) at their downtown Portland, Ore., store at Union Way when I visited two days later.

What I never understand is why retailers continue to resist catering to this need of in-store programming. While working on a recent New York flagship project, I recommended to the client’s management team that they should create the role of an events coordinator as part of the store team and they should hire a local person for the position – even suggesting that they go out and recruit a talented concierge from a hip hotel. They replied that they would be bringing the store manager from the West Coast (where they are based), and that it would be his job to ensure events are planned. Several things occurred to me at this moment:

1. The battle between importing corporate culture over empowering local knowledge. Reminiscent of “hire for attitude, train the rest.”
2. The battle for profitability: Additional store staff puts a greater burden on store performance. Perhaps this could be remedied by measuring store ROI by alternative metrics.
3. The consequences of the failure to embrace the brick-and-mortar advantage over the Internet and reticence to take advantage of the opportunity to establish direct meaningful relationships with customers over the prioritization of selling product.

I’m sure some other thoughts flitted through my mind, as well, but those were the major ones. As if to reinforce an already ingrained conviction, shortly thereafter I had an in-store experience with another client that proved these points. If this retailer had hired a dedicated events coordinator for the store, the event I witnessed at their flagship would have gone off with more of a bang than the fizzle it manifested. It was apparent that the retailer assumed that “if they built it, they will come,” as there had been minimal messaging on social media or their website, and they located the event deep within the store. A passerby on the street had no idea of what activities lie within.

Lost opportunities like this are costly in the current retail landscape. I’m not advocating that every store has events programmed every day, but I am advocating that retailers look at their stores as they would their vacations. Vacations tend to revolve around a destination. People want to maximize their vacation time at these destinations – be it for sightseeing, reading, sunbathing, sports activities or … shopping. As one plans their vacation, one seeks input from various sources to maximize the visit: TripAdvisor, Yelp or the hotel concierge, to name a few. These sources are vital to vacation planning and serve no other function but to provide the information required to program a fulfilling vacation. How would one plan their vacation these days without these resources? Would you call the airline to get a restaurant recommendation just because they got you there? No, that would be silly. 

Why would you expect your store team to be able to perform the roles they currently have, with their traditional responsibilities, plus act as the cruise director for the daily life of the store? Cruise lines have dedicated cruise directors for a reason: to ensure the passengers are happy. Now replace “passengers” with “customers.”  I can only hope the words “brand ambassador” come to mind.

Kathleen Jordan, AIA, CID, LEED AP, is a principal in Gensler’s New York office, and a leader of its retail practice with over 24 years of experience across the United States and internationally. Jordan has led a broad range of retail design projects as both an outside consultant and as an in-house designer. She has led projects from merchandising and design development all the way through construction documentation and administration, and many of her projects have earned national and international design awards. Contact her at kathleen_jordan@gensler.com.