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Retail experts share practical, cost-effective ways to refresh your
shop’s image.
by Kelsey E. Smith
For
many florists, the current economy leaves few, if any, extra dollars to
spend on their businesses, making remodeling an unlikely venture. But
there are several low-cost, or even no-cost, ways to change your shop’s
image and make it more inviting to customers. We spoke with Richard
Milteer, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, IFDA, creative director of Lakeland
Florist Supply, Inc., in Edina, Minn., as well as retail consultants
Barbara Crowhurst, founder of Retailmakeover™ in Toronto,
and George Whalin, founder of Retail Management Consultants
in Carlsbad, Calif., who offered the following ideas for refreshing your
shop’s image without breaking the bank.
meet the experts
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the retail experience
Mr. Whalin says one of the best ways to get ideas for your
shop is to visit other retailers, both within the floral
industry and beyond. “Go out and look at other stores,” he
suggests. “What would and wouldn’t work in your store? Get some
sense of what other retailers are doing.”
The businesses featured in Mr. Whalin’s new book, Retail
Superstars: Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America,
each have several attributes that make them “superstars,” he
says, but one thing they all have in common is that none of them
look like every other store on the block.
sizzling signage
Your business name and outdoor signage are the first things
people see. What impression do yours give?
“My biggest pet peeve on signage is that the name of the
store does not tell immediately what products are sold and what
services are offered,” Ms. Crowhurst says. “That’s the primary
marketing message retailers should consider.”
Ms. Crowhurst adds that she is not suggesting retailers
change their names but rather add a tagline to the existing
business name. “It could include major product categories (like
flowers, gifts and home décor) or a special brand you carry, or
it could be something like, ‘For you and the way you live your
life,’” she suggests.
Inside the shop, Mr. Whalin says one of the most common
mistakes retailers make with signage is text that is too small.
To ensure readability, he suggests dropping the sign on the
floor and looking at it from eye level. If it cannot be easily
read from this distance, it is too small. Also be sure to have
contrast between the paper and text colors and between the sign
and the surroundings against which it will be displayed. |
 Barbara
Crowhurstis
an author, business coach and founder of Retailmakeover™,
a retail consulting business based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Her latest CD and downloadable e-book, Retailers...Ask the
Pro. addresses retailers' top challenges and concerns. visit
www.barbaracrowhurst.com for more information or to order.
Richard Milteer, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, IFDA,
is creative director of Lakeland Florists Supply,
Inc., a wholesaler, importer and manufacturer of floral and
floral-related products in Edina, Minn.
George Whalin is a retail
speaker, author and founder of Retail Management Consultants
in Carlsbad, Calif. To preview his latest book, Retail
Superstars: Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America,
visit
www.retailsuperstars.com. Visit
www.whalinonretail.com
to sign up for Mr. Whalin's free Retail Management E-letter.
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... For the rest of the story, look to the
October 2009 issue of Florists' Review.
Contact Kelsey E. Smith at
ksmith@floristsreview.com or (800) 367-4708.
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to purchase the current issue of Florists' Review. |
