I've noticed two new trends in stores lately. I'm in the southeast - and we tend to lag behind the nation in many areas - so you'll have to let me know if this has hit other parts of the country or world already.
The first one I discovered as I was walking through the grocery store. I was astounded to see a bar - yes, a bar - inside the grocery store. My first thought was who in their right mind would WANT to go to a grocery store to drink? Perhaps because I used to despise grocery shopping. Then I realized how perfect it was for the store and for the patrons. The store has all of the wine and the beer there anyway. All they have to do is throw up a a bar, a few bar stools, and a TV, and voila, instant bar. The customers have to get groceries at least once a week, and they can hang out with their neighbors (neighbors all shop at the same store) before/after one of those must-do chores. I can hear it now, "Honey, will you get the groceries?" "You know I hate...uh, yes, why yes, I WILL get the groceries. I'll be HAPPY to get the groceries" while he or she furiously calculates how fast they can zoom through the store to allow time for one more drink before the spouse starts calling and saying "where are you?"
The second one was a cell phone store that put a portable kiosk in front of the store. The kiosk was the size of a food truck, and the long side of it folded down to display all the phones. So as you're driving by, you can actually see cell phones hanging from the rack. Interestingly, as I drove past a competitor a mile up the road, I noticed they had put a table outside, in front of the front door. They were in the process of packing it up for the night, but I imagine they were trying to compete with the same marketing tactics while having more limited space in front of their store.
What's my point? Well, a couple of things. First, that someone came up with these marketing ideas and is getting paid for them. Second, that there is always a way to take a normal, boring business and innovate. And who knows, some of you may think of new need for a product or service to support these new formats.
The first one I discovered as I was walking through the grocery store. I was astounded to see a bar - yes, a bar - inside the grocery store. My first thought was who in their right mind would WANT to go to a grocery store to drink? Perhaps because I used to despise grocery shopping. Then I realized how perfect it was for the store and for the patrons. The store has all of the wine and the beer there anyway. All they have to do is throw up a a bar, a few bar stools, and a TV, and voila, instant bar. The customers have to get groceries at least once a week, and they can hang out with their neighbors (neighbors all shop at the same store) before/after one of those must-do chores. I can hear it now, "Honey, will you get the groceries?" "You know I hate...uh, yes, why yes, I WILL get the groceries. I'll be HAPPY to get the groceries" while he or she furiously calculates how fast they can zoom through the store to allow time for one more drink before the spouse starts calling and saying "where are you?"
The second one was a cell phone store that put a portable kiosk in front of the store. The kiosk was the size of a food truck, and the long side of it folded down to display all the phones. So as you're driving by, you can actually see cell phones hanging from the rack. Interestingly, as I drove past a competitor a mile up the road, I noticed they had put a table outside, in front of the front door. They were in the process of packing it up for the night, but I imagine they were trying to compete with the same marketing tactics while having more limited space in front of their store.
What's my point? Well, a couple of things. First, that someone came up with these marketing ideas and is getting paid for them. Second, that there is always a way to take a normal, boring business and innovate. And who knows, some of you may think of new need for a product or service to support these new formats.
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