[business] how to succeed in retailing
THE old adage "the customer is always right" may still be in circulation, but putting consumers first may not always be the top priority of retailers.
Australian retail expert David Jenkin says despite the common assumption that customers are the most important, the world's most successful retailers tend to focus on their staff first.
The former regional managing director of the Coles Myer group says that while this presents a conundrum for many in the retail industry, it is "absolutely consistent across the board with great retailers - the most important group of people to them is their own staff. "
"The reason for that is they believe if they've created a culture where their own staff are greatly valued, then their own staff will greatly value the customer," Mr Jenkin says. "So all the leaders from these companies around the world know that if their staff, who represent the company to the customer every day, feel good about the company, they will represent the company well. Everything they do is carefully calculated to improve the relationship that they have with their customers."
Mr Jenkin has drawn on his extensive career in retail to design a book What Great Retailers Do, dedicated to a particular aspect of retailing such as merchandising, lighting, dealing with complaints and stock management, with a "key to success" at the end of each chapter. The book also contains stories from Australian and overseas retailers, as well as nine case studies of successful businesses.
After 25 years with the Coles Myer Group, Mr Jenkin quit and started a retail consultancy in 1983 - a move that allowed him to pursue other interests including involvement with international development organisation World Vision. He became the first non-American to be appointed chairman of the board of World Vision International and led a strategic re-organisation of the not-for-profit group, receiving a Medal of Australia in 1998 for his contributions to international relations and Australian retailing.
Having dedicated his working life to retail, Mr Jenkin remains passionate about it. "I think I must have retail genes in my body, I don't know where they came from but I just love the industry. In all of my travels, whether it's to Ethiopia or Guatemala, I always have to get into the retail area and have a look," he says.
Mr Jenkin describes great retailers as "insatiable innovators" who excel at adapting new ideas. He also says leading retailers are constantly looking to improve. One of the most common problems in retailing is that retailers are not exciting enough.
Australian retail expert David Jenkin says despite the common assumption that customers are the most important, the world's most successful retailers tend to focus on their staff first.
The former regional managing director of the Coles Myer group says that while this presents a conundrum for many in the retail industry, it is "absolutely consistent across the board with great retailers - the most important group of people to them is their own staff. "
"The reason for that is they believe if they've created a culture where their own staff are greatly valued, then their own staff will greatly value the customer," Mr Jenkin says. "So all the leaders from these companies around the world know that if their staff, who represent the company to the customer every day, feel good about the company, they will represent the company well. Everything they do is carefully calculated to improve the relationship that they have with their customers."
Mr Jenkin has drawn on his extensive career in retail to design a book What Great Retailers Do, dedicated to a particular aspect of retailing such as merchandising, lighting, dealing with complaints and stock management, with a "key to success" at the end of each chapter. The book also contains stories from Australian and overseas retailers, as well as nine case studies of successful businesses.
After 25 years with the Coles Myer Group, Mr Jenkin quit and started a retail consultancy in 1983 - a move that allowed him to pursue other interests including involvement with international development organisation World Vision. He became the first non-American to be appointed chairman of the board of World Vision International and led a strategic re-organisation of the not-for-profit group, receiving a Medal of Australia in 1998 for his contributions to international relations and Australian retailing.
Having dedicated his working life to retail, Mr Jenkin remains passionate about it. "I think I must have retail genes in my body, I don't know where they came from but I just love the industry. In all of my travels, whether it's to Ethiopia or Guatemala, I always have to get into the retail area and have a look," he says.
Mr Jenkin describes great retailers as "insatiable innovators" who excel at adapting new ideas. He also says leading retailers are constantly looking to improve. One of the most common problems in retailing is that retailers are not exciting enough.
"Unfortunately, the majority of retailers are boring. They are boring to the customer, they are boring to their staff, and usually they present as fairly boring themselves because they have not learnt that the key to all great retailing is to build a team that is upbeat and creating an environment with the customer."
Thanks to Debi Taylor, August 5, 2006
Thanks to Debi Taylor, August 5, 2006
posted by James Higham @ 04:58
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