Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 18

oN ThE covER

winning organic spa where customers
can relax and rejuvenate and enjoy
its locally made, organic products. it
even circulates an e-newsletter, offers
in-store workshops and events and
produces an online magazine where
readers can access information and
educational articles related to tea and
wellness. This allows Silk Road to engage with its customers on a number
of different levels using multiple mediums to do so.
"We want to excite our customer
wherever they are and however they
are engaging with us," Cubelic says.
"in-store we offer a lot tastings and
classes and workshops that teach
people how to make seasonal drinks,
educate them concerning health and
wellness remedies and home spa
treatments. and our staff is amazing
and incredibly knowledgeable. online we offer a beautiful website for
our customers where they can sign up
to receive news from us, find recipes,
read great articles and, of course, our
online store where everything can be
purchased. Customers continue to
respond to really rich and interesting
retail environments, whether they're
in-store or online."
and for Cubelic, her decision to
ensure this experience for her customers online has reaped massive
reward. Because her business and
reputation has grown beyond the
local Victoria market, the store's
e-commerce platform allows it to
reach a broadening pool of tealovers. She's pleased, she says, with
Silk Road's online sales performance and has plans to grow that line.
But it's the unexpected benefits that
the native of British Columbia says
are most rewarding.
"Having a presence online is far
more important and powerful a tool
than many small independent retailers might understand," she explains.
"Being online creates a virtuous circle for you. it creates and drives traffic to the retail store, and the retail
store drives traffic online. it ultimately means that you're always connected and engaged with your customer."
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caNadIaN RETaIlER | Winter 2015

Tea lovers from afar travel to Silk Road's Victoria location.
Where are the opportunities for retailers to grow in 2015?
"The online space has levelled the playing field. Today you have the opportunity to make
a bigger impact, regardless of where you are. if you look at social media for instance, the
online space allows you to build a brand literally from nothing and nowhere, and suddenly
make everyone aware of your offering."

Engagement and education

and that's a very good thing for
Silk Road, whose connection and
engagement with its customers is
paramount to its success, and arguably runs deeper than for most
other businesses. Because tea, at its
core, is about health and wellness,
Cubelic has made sure to educate
her customers about the benefits of

organic loose tea. She explains how
most teas in the market are grown
with the use of pesticides, and because it is not considered perishable
is warehoused so long that it's stale
before it even reaches the shelves.
in contrast, she continues, organically grown tea harvested at a higher
altitude yields higher antioxidant
levels, which directly impacts health

Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015