Canadian Retailer - Summer 2014 - 20

MYSTORE RETAILER'S GUIDE VOL. 10.3: IN-STORE EVENTS

knowledge of what has worked at other stores
and-sometimes-budget for certain product
promotions. acappella scored pricing advantage for their event. "We negotiated a small
discount from suppliers and we will give that
discount to customers," Cappella says.
One of the goals in staging the event is to
cultivate customer loyalty. That's why the store
is giving their best customers the white glove
treatment. "Repeat customers is what you
want," Cappella advises. He says the store is
making allowances for customers who want
to come in a day earlier or a day later than the
sales dates. Whatever gets more customers in
the store benefiting from the event.
The major investment acappella made in the
event was time, says Cappella. "A lot of time,
a lot of planning. A lot of marketing, emails,
phone calls, handwritten notes." But a successful event will translate that time into money
and satisfied customers. And that's worth it.

SOME STEPS IN ACAPPELLA'S EVENT PLAN

1. Identify the top one hundred clients.
2. Send a personalized, handwritten invitation four weeks prior
to the event date.
3. Follow up two weeks later with a phone call to see if the
customer is interested in attending the event.
4. Book one-hour fitting appointments for each customer. Walkins are good, but advance booking at the tailoring event
helps acappella estimate labour for the event.
5. Order hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
6. Have fun but remember, Cappella says, "The event is the
clothing itself."

21 Tips for your Next Event

Time events for maximum exposure: Select
a date and time for the event that capitalizes
on a holiday, piggy-backs on another event
or cultural experience and draws traffic at
a time when the store needs foot traffic. It's
best to set the date of the event during a
time that will allow for more detailed planning, so get out the calendar and make an
event calendar for the year.
Think about the draw: In art and communication, like in retail, the specific is better
than the general. Design events around a
specific product, a specific personality, a
specific skill, a specific holiday, a specific
pricing strategy. Have a single, cogent message that will help people remember what
the event is about.

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Set a budget: In-store events need investment
if they are to provide any kind of return. How
much money and, more importantly, how
much time can the store afford to put into an
event? How much for marketing? How many
price points can the store afford to cut?
Create an event-specific display: To make
an in-store event stand-out from regular
promotions, give it profile with an eventspecific display placed in a premium location in the store. Supplement the display
with custom signage that alerts customers
to the key selling point of the event-the opportunity to meet an author, save money,
learn a new skill, and so on.
Cross-promote the event with complementary businesses: If we operate on the principle that two is better than one, then crosspromoting an event with a complementary
business, or staging an event with a neighbour, can double resources and reach.
Alert suppliers to the event: Suppliers want to
know about your events, so fill them in. And
while you have them on the phone, ask them
to support the event with marketing support,
discounts and an extra hand at the event.
Develop business-to-business events: One
way to extend the store's network is to develop business-to-business events for neighbouring businesses. Meet-and-greets and
targeted promotions for businesses can help
retailers keep a foothold in the market. And,
when independents look for neighbouring
businesses to partner with, they can draw on
members of the B2B networks.
Leverage events to cultivate customer loyalty: A successful event makes a sale and a
better event brings the customer back. As
part of each event, create an opportunity to
collect customer information and to enrol
customers into the store's loyalty program.
Target a specific audience for the event:
Events can have greater traction if they speak
directly to a niche market. Develop events
that showcase the store's products and services to narrow segments of the store's clientele. Consider identifying the target group in
the title of the event. For example, an apparel
store hoping to attract younger customers
might stage an event named, "How to tie that
tie: Lessons in dressing for young men."
Watch out for conflicting events: Don't expect much traffic if you stage your event
on the opening night of the Olympics. While

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Canadian Retailer - Summer 2014

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