Canadian Retailer - Store 2016 - 17

"They're [millennials] at the
front of issues like animal
welfare and the demand for
cage-free eggs. And they are
influencing their parents when
it comes to these topics...They
like information-and the
better-informed we keep them,
the more they trust us"

PARTICIPANTS
JIM

CALDWELL

Former President
The Brick

SAJJAD

HUDDA

President
Nygard International

- ANTHONY LONGO
Longo Bros.
ANTHONY

LONGO

President & CEO
Longo Bros.

Kruh: Understanding the factors that drive customer behaviour
and purchasing is obviously critical to the strength and survival
of any retailer. Today, consumers research before they even start
their shopping trip. They speak to friends, read blogs, do price
comparisons and check ratings of your product or service. Then,
and only then, will they visit you either online or in person to make
a purchase. An intimate knowledge of the customer's journey, of
their interactions and decisions at each touchpoint along the way,
and of the factors triggering their interactions is worth its weight
in gold for retailers. With this in mind, leveraging the data that's at
your disposal, what are you doing to grab the customer's attention
and engage them with your brand?
Russell: We always want to make sure that our team is well-trained
to service the customer and meet their needs. Today, the customer
might come into your store thinking that they know more than the
associate selling the item. If you aren't able to engage that customer on a level they can appreciate and respect, they'll go somewhere else to buy that same item. Our associates need to know and
understand our products intimately.
Hudda: The need for knowledgeable and well-informed sales staff
is crucial. But it's also about knowing the customer and we do
make a point to know them. We're constantly sending them little
gifts and giveaways to create that intimate experience between
the customer and our store. Most of our full-timers and managers
know all of our top customers by name, how many children they
have, their hobbies and so forth.
We also make coming to our store an event. We throw "girlfriend
parties" by closing the doors to hold private shopping sessions for
customers who host their girlfriends. For every item a girlfriend
buys, the host gets an additional discount.
We also do a "behind the closed door" event for top customers.
One Sunday every month, we will open the store an hour early for
an exclusive shopping experience. We want to give our customers
every good reason to come to us first.

www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

DAVID

RUSSELL

President
Sporting Life

ALISON

SIMPSON

SVP Marketing &
Customer Experience
Holt Renfrew
STEFAN

SJOSTRAND

President
IKEA Canada Limited

GEORGE

SOLEAS

President & CEO
Liquor Control Board
of Ontario
MODERATORS
ANDREA

BALDWIN

Partner, Management
Consulting
KPMG in Canada

WILLY

KRUH

Global Chairman,
Consumer Markets
KPMG in Canada

STORE 2016 | CANADIAN RETAILER

| 17

http://www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

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