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• Retailing in the Palm of Your Hand

  

  Here's a revealing factoid from Bloomberg News: "Of the people who use social media, one in three makes a purchase every month through a platform such as Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or Snapchat."

  That's right; transactions initiated and completed all via smartphone. At least once a month. One out of three "social media users" (or, 33% of almost everybody?!) 

  
  

  It's what some are calling "handheld retailing." 

   

  It's a trend you may not like, but heads up, folks. It's a tsunami!

  
  

• What's Up for Retailers? Lots!

  

  We have a mental image of a wide-open plain with hundreds of prairie dogs, cautiously poking their heads above ground. Looking around, they slowly realize they can actually venture out into the world once again.
  
  And venture forth they do. One by one at first, then more and more. Enthusiastically. Energetically. Excitedly bounding about, encouraging others to share  their sense of adventure and fun.
  
  And that’s what we imagine is next for independent retailers. Here’s why.

• Look what's trending up this Holiday season

  

  You've seen them, right? All the stories about how strong this year's Holiday sales are expected to be.

  Meanwhile, the department stores – Kohl's, J.C.Penney, Macy's –  keep reporting sales declines. And malls, seeing less foot traffic and fewer shoppers, are scrambling. 
  
  So, where will those robust retail sales come from? 

• Cannibalizing Sales? Really?

  

  "Are retailers eating themselves alive?"

  That was the provocative headline we recently saw.

  Then this followed: “Retailers' rising e-commerce sales are taking a big bite out of their brick-and-mortar revenues – a wide-ranging problem.” 

  Other pundits we've seen call it “an untenable dynamic for these retailers.”

  “Huh?”, we scoffed, as we read this about major retailers.

  The definition of retailing is “selling to the ultimate consumer.” Why does it really matter whether they buy from you in-store or online?

• What Customers Really Want

  

  We are living in unsettling times of rapid change, magnified by news cycle drama. 

  Maybe it’s the latest natural disasters or the uncertainty of international conflicts. Or closer to home, aging parents, unexpected expenses, or just trying to open a new bottle of aspirin, life can seem more out of control than normal.

  This anxiety and frustration can be unsettling to many folks, some of whom undoubtedly are your customers.

  And frankly, as the frustrations grow of having less control, some people will seek more control wherever they can.

  Where would that be? That’s right. Your stores. You and your staff must be ready.
  

• No Room for Mediocrity

  

  Aren't we all sick and tired of the perception that retailing is terminally ill?
  
  While it’s tempting to simply paraphrase Mark Twain – “The news of the death of retailing has been greatly exaggerated.” – when dismissing the doom-and-gloomers, we think that Dave Gilboa, Co-Founder of Warby Parker, the eyewear retailer, summarized it more accurately in an interview last week on PBS:

  “We don’t think retail’s dead.
  We think mediocre retail is dead.”