Comments on: Get With the Times, Retail

By: Lance Puig

Lance Puig — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:06:48 +0000

I was LOLing at Jodi’s reply, only because I have the same exact sentiment. What’s the fuss really? I also don’t get the no photo policy of stores.

By: Jodi Lastman

Jodi Lastman — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:48:37 +0000

Nice post Dan. Agree 100% I never understood the no photography policy, even before that new-fangled machine called the “iPhone” by that company called “Apple.”

What’s the risk? That I’m going to open a store just like yours? If that’s all it takes to be better than you then you got bigger problems my friend.

By: Daniel Rose

Daniel Rose — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:35:01 +0000

Thanks for the comment Paige. Very insightful. There were some additional thoughts that I had that seemed a little off topic for this post but were related. I’ll throw them in now!

I was pondering the balance of price versus experience. In the Swipe example, I’m glad that the bookstore is there. I’m glad it’s downtown in a prime location. I go there to peruse and relax. I do buy stuff from there but if it’s really easy for me to check on the price of a product at their competitor, I might be more hesitant to make that purchase. The aggregate effect of similar behaviour is that people want the store to be there but aren’t willing to support it when it comes time to whipping out their wallet.

The question becomes how much more, if anything, are customers willing to pay for the retail experience and knowledgeable, passionate staff.

What changes will retail have to make in the immediate future to justify higher prices for the product?

And here’s a link to a NY Times article that is apropos to this conversation: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/business/03unboxed.html?ref=technology

By: Paige Freeborn

Paige Freeborn — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:02:29 +0000

This is a great post Daniel. The simple fact is that consumers are tapping into their networks to make purchasing decisions every day and with mobile technology can do that right at the store level.

Retailers have always been super conscious of the competitive nature of the business and not allowing photographs to be taken in the store goes back eons. This is such antiquated thinking. Many consumers do their research on line for price and peer recommendations before they even walk into a store. We know what products cost and who has the best price and service before our feet are on the street.

The ability to use SnapTell or to Tweet the cover out for more info is becoming more and more commonplace.

Retailers, like many other businesses, have to learn to let go of many of their old habits. What’s the axiom? The strong survive. This marks a turning point in history and the evolution of retail.

Those who can embrace, adapt to and incorporate this new thinking into their establishments and practices will surely survive. Those who don’t? Well, there’s a story about a dodo bird there somewhere I’m sure