BetterRetailing came down to my store a few weeks ago on behalf of the Local Shop Summit to film a special video tour version of the See My Shop gallery.

They asked me to pick 3 different aspects of my business and explain what they were, why I did them and how they’ve helped.

The first area we looked at was shopper missions.  Our store is laid out in such away so that different customers who come in with different specific needs can be catered for in specific areas which reduces the need to wander all around the store trying to find the products.  So for example for Mission One we have a quick “in and out” area at the front of the store that has snacks, food to go, newspapers and all the things a shopper in a morning rush might need.  We also have an evening meal section of the store where fresh meats are linked up near scratch cooking sauces and red wine, all the things you might need in one place to create tonight’s dinner.   And of course our Big Night In section links up alcohol products with grab bags, snacks and ready meals.  This is something we put a lot of thought into and something that the multiples don’t tend to do very well.

The second area we talked about on film is how we work with the community.  Being an active part of the community is so important for local shops.  This is one of our biggest USPs.  By helping the community and getting involved in local events we not only effectively get free marketing for the shop but its a brilliant way of cementing customer loyalty which in turn leads to more repeat business.

Finally we talked about how we work with suppliers.  We are very fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with a number of key suppliers.  This is something that everybody can get involved with whether they are a big store, small store, part of a symbol group or not.  By actively communicating with suppliers and building up a relationship with them you can learn so many things to help optimize and generate more sales.

Get in touch with your reps, build up a relationship with them and don’t be afraid to share your EPOS data with them so that they can work with you in seeing what you are doing well and what can be improved.