Using last-minute "Guerrilla Tactics", small retailers can learn how to whomp on Wal-Mart, beat back Best Buy and wreak havoc on Home Depot.
(PRWEB) December 9 2003--
The outlook for the holiday shopping period is quickly going from good to great." Business Weekly Online, November 3, 2003.
Or is it, Shoppers curtailed spending after they spent tax-credit checks mailed in July and August and concerns lingered about unemployment." The New York Times, November 7, 2003?
Instability in the job market, worries about the war in Iraq and fluctuating stocks have made forecasting this year's retail Christmas season difficult for smaller retailers. The authors of the upcoming book, Guerrilla Retailing, (in the legendary Guerrilla Marketing series) suggest several things that small stores can do right now to improve sales and profits this holiday season:
- Offer a personal shopper service, or Selection Consultants" – a personal
shopper assists customers with a level of individualized attention and service beyond what retail associates could offer. Differentiate yourself from the big-box retailers by allowing your customers to call ahead with specific details – height, weight, favorite colors, hobbies and interests, even the amount you are willing to spend – and when they arrive at the store, your customers have a custom-specified selection of merchandise to choose from.
-Provide call-ahead ordering – most customers dont like parking in large,
crowded lots, trudging through snow and mud, losing themselves in aisles and aisles of merchandise, looking for that one special gift – and then have to wait in line for another forty five minutes. Give your customers
the convenience of calling your sales associates ahead of time, and have it waiting for them at the front of your store for quick purchase.
- E-mail holiday idea lists" to your former customers which feature the hot items of the holiday season, or mine your customer database for buying trends, and provide specialized lists of items that might interest them. Divide the items into categories—childrens toys, womens clothes— similar to the ones in your seasonal cataloguesEven embed images of the items, and provide quick-links to your online shopping store.
- Display stacks of popular items pre-wrapped on your shelves right next to the unwrapped merchandise. Or offer pre-made gift baskets filled with smaller items from your store, shrink-wrapped and tied with a festive bow.
Attach blank gift cards that your customers can fill out quickly with personalized holiday sentiments.
- Offer delivery services on all your products, large or small. Mail your customers purchases directly to their out-of-townrecipients, or deliver locally via courier to homes or offices.
- Driving and parking in the wintertime can be challenging for everyone. Provide a shuttle service for seniors or disabled customers. Even handicap parking spots can be more than 100 yards from the entrance to the store. Offering curb-side shuttling for elderly and handicapped customers – from their door to yours – differentiates your specialty shop
from the warehouse retailers.
- Promote special hours to shop for preferred customers – this invitation-only event gives these customers the ease of shopping without the hassle of crowds, and provides personalization that the big-box retailers cant
offer.
With Guerrilla Retailing, small business owners will learn how to use no-cost and low-cost marketing weapons and sales tactics, while outmaneuvering their big box competitors. Guerrilla Retailers are a
creative, flexible and wildly profitable bunch.
Jay Conrad Levinson, the Father of Guerrilla Marketing," is the co-author of the worlds best-selling marketing series, more than 14 million books sold worldwide.
Elly Valas is an author, speaker, consultant and respected retail industry leader and the former President/CEO of the North American Retail Dealers Association.
Orvel Ray Wilson, CSP is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker and seminar leader on sales, marketing, and negotiation, and co-author of several books in the Guerrilla series. A featured expdert at the Inc. Small
Business Forums and a guest expert on CNN, he holds the highest level of certification recognized worldwide by the speaking profession.
Jay, Elly and Orvel Ray teach Guerrilla Retailers" to maximize their time, energy and imagination to build a business that stands out in the large crowd of retailers. Once they gain the secrets of Guerilla Retailing they too will learn how to whomp on Wal-Mart, beat back Best Buy and wreak havoc on Home Depot.
The authors are all professional public speakers, and can effectively inform and entertain an audience on radio, TV and in print. To book Jay, Elly or Orvel Ray for media interviews, as guest experts, or to request a media kit, call Chris Boyer at 1-800-247-9145 or e-mail retailing@guerrillagroup.com
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