Are you Being Served?

Easter is drawing near, lending itself predictably to thoughts of fresh starts, new beginnings, and of course obscene volumes of chocolate...
So it seems a good time to consider what the next development steps for UK retailers might be, in their ongoing drive for sales, and market share.  And now more than ever, it's all about building the brand, baby.

Trendwatching.com are calling this concept the 'Brand Butler'. They say "It has never been more important to turn your brand into a service. Jaded, time-poor, pragmatic consumers yearn for service and care, while the mobile online revolution makes it possible to offer relevant services to consumers anywhere, anytime"
What they are proposing is a holistic strategy that focuses on faciliating and assisting in customers' liftstyles and decisions, rather than simply 'selling' to them as we have done since immemorial. And the ways available to us to do that allows us to build meaningful customer loyalty (always the focus in a difficult market) through becoming a part of those lifestyles and decisions....

Does it all sound a bit invasive and 1984? Perhaps, but customers are comfortable with the trade-off, so the struggle is finished.. We love Big Brother...

The key elements of this concept as I see them?

1. The Digital Revolution.
Smart retailers need to look at new and creative means of getting the brand message out to users in the multi-media space, as consumers become increasingly digital in their social habits, and traditional avenues of advertising and exposure become less relevant. A useable transactional website with a good product offering is now taken for granted by consumers as a minimum requirement, so the real game changers are things like IPhone apps, Facebook pages,  and Twitter accounts. Whilst the impact of mobile retail in and of itself will require a seperate blog post, in summary, these tools increase exposure of the brand to the consumer, which helps retailers to get their message out (which  a lot of the time is half the battle) and builds loyalty through information and deals, and additional services, and when done well, increase brand credibility and improve customer experience with solutions that fit our modern anytime/anywhere multi-media lifestyles.

2. A little bit more.
Retailers require a point of difference in a crowded, still uncertain market, and progessive businesses have to come up with new and exciting ways to delight the customer and keep them coming back. This of course means high quality customer service, but also that elusive 'little bit more' by which the retailer can assist the customer's lifestyle not just their purchase. A fantastic example of this is new fashion retailer GIVe, established by the legendary George Davies, of Next, Asda and Per Una fame. This visionary has already recognised that in order for the venture to be successful in current climates "Service will be paramount to the whole retail experience in every GIVe store", which for him means experienced Style Advisors, free alterations and bespoke made to measure services. This things make our purchase decisions and indeed lives a little easier (we are prepared to kill for a properly fitting pair of trousers after all) which is what being a 'Brand Butler' is all about.

3. All change please.
Consumers will require the latest products, trends, information, and services immediately. This means quick stock turn with a quickly evolving and relevant product range, and access to up-to-date product and general information, and deals and offers in line with competitors. These says we can afford to be impatient. We want it all and we want it now.

Infilitrating our lives in new ways, and guiding us in our lifestyle choices and decisions will be the way in which retailers will win our continued business and support- You Must Love Them...