320: The STORY of Retail Experience

Jeannie and Adam explore the innovative retail experience created by STORY and how you can surprise your own customers with unexpected value in the real-life shopping experience. Is your retail experience a welcome surprise? As we’ve mentioned before in this show, retail as we once knew it is in peril. Shoppers enjoy 2-day shipping and the ability to browse a colossal selection from wherever they are, so it’s no surprise retailers like Kmart and Toys R Us are nearing the end of their days.   But what is a surprise is that brick-and-mortar retail is not truly dead for innovative companies that find ways to add extra value for those who are still willing to gas up and make the trip. “Retail is not necessarily completely dying…”-Adam Toporek This kind of shopping is full of surprises like “Oh, my…These lines are long” or “Oh, snap! This is the last one and it’s broken!” But what if we add surprises that really make customers WANT to come see us in person? That’s what brands like STORY are doing, and the results have been incredible. So incredible, in fact, that asked their Founder Rachel Schectman was asked to help bring these surprises to the shopping experience at Macy’s. They know that to secure a future in IRL shopping, the physical retail experience has to offer something you just can’t get online. But this kind of evolution is not easy! What would it mean for your store’s footprint, and how will that affect things like rent, building and fire codes, or zoning laws? More importantly, how will the new experiences fit in with the digital experiences you offer? Then how will people even know these exciting changes are happening? “This is what’s so challenging for these older legacy brands in retail…” -Jeannie Walters  Do you like surprises? More importantly, what kind of surprises will make your customers want to come back and bring their friends? Join us today as Jeannie and Adam explore bold opportunities to create a surprising retail experience your customers will want to get dressed and hit the pavement for. Related Content 360Connext® post, 3 Ways to Let Customers Guide Your Greatest Innovation Customers That Stick® post, 3 Examples of How to Easily WOW Customers Episode Search toys 316: Can Toys R Us Survive? Episode 311: Which Retail Touchpoints Matter Most What is STORY? We're on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts   Sponsor message Give your team the customer service training they deserve Want to bring game-changing customer service training to your team? CTS Service Solutions offers a half-day in-person workshop designed to motivate and educate your customer-facing team members. Using energy, excitement, and interaction, our workshop helps frontline teams embrace a customer-centric outlook, then — using the principles from our book Be Your Customer’s Hero — gives them the skills and confidence they need to handle any service interaction. Don’t leave your frontline team hanging… Give them the training they deserve. Learn more at customerheroworkshop.com, that is customerheroworkshop.com.   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices