slow retail

I know I'm planning on doing my Christmas shopping online this year. I will shop around in some of the smaller towns around where I've just moved, because they're full of beautiful little privately owned businesses with things you won't find anywhere else, but if it's from a chain store I'll be buying online.

I think some of the quietness is from the recession, and the rest is from more people turning to the internet to fill their Christmas stockings.

Yes I agree the internet doesn't help high street matters, but in my opinion people are too afraid to part with their money

We will keep our fingers crossed and our chins up!!!

Just being curious, and having zero retail experience, I wonder if the business type is relevant? For example, as a glasses wearer, I'm never going to be buying glasses online, and will be having an eye test and choosing glasses in my local optician. But for me that would a deliberate trip into town, rather than mooching round the town centre and going in on impulse.

So in theory, if other people are the same, then lower casual shopping footfall wouldn't make too much difference to specialist type businesses? Or is footfall important regardless of the business, and allows upsell of other "stuff".

Or am I talking cobblers?

No people don't come to us on impulse, but to buy glasses. Where we are different we actually make 99% of lenses onsite, which means we can offer a fast turnaround often same day. most of our business is word of mouth we have done different kinds of advertising but to little effect.We are not situated in the high street but operate from a factory outlet, just a little way off the town centre. Up to 3-4 weeks ago business was average but now very quiet.

Hi Justin,
thanks for the reply We have tried all types of advertising, local paper, website,
adwords express, leaflet drop, billboards all types, yew even same day service and competitive rates, short of dragging them off the street, everything that is suggested. We have been in business since 1948 and this must be one of the leanest times.We have always embraced up to day attitudes and technology to keep pace with the times, but this seems like the early 1930s,what with food banks springing up it makes it a very sad state of affairs.

Enough of my woes what about yours?

Rob

Off the cuff thinking ...

Couldn't quite work out whether you do the eye testing as well as the glasses.

If it's only the glasses, then your sales "gatekeepers" are the opticians, you'll need to sell, sell , sell to them and you'll have to negotiate deals they like ... so they can sell directly to the end-customers.

Are you in touch with all the opticians who can feed you business? Do you know what kinds of customers come to their shops - and what appeals to them (eg are they after a same day service and designer frames?)? It'd be worthwhile putting some effort into up to date market research.

I'm assuming you can't compete on price with the Specsavers of this world so you'll have to find some way of being "better" than they are.

Have you talked to opticians about providing a "we come to you" service for those in nursing homes or disabled at home? Do you know anything about working with customers suffering from dementia or other disabilities? I've heard it can be very difficult finding an optician skilled in helping ill / disabled customers; the carers' grapevine will pass your details round if you're good at assisting the people they care for with their sight problems.

GOOD LUCK! Linda

Hi Linda
Thanks for the reply. No we don't do eye tests and yes we used to deal with opticians but we stopped many years ago because it was a very low profit margin and we spent half the time chasing payments ( some of which never got paid). As for competing on Specsavers pricing being a lens making lab we may well be able to as long as we get enough footfall. The advantage we have got is speed of service and supply. Last night we were at a local shopping mall which had a lot of people but not many tills ringing.

Thanks for the advice

Rob

I forgot to mention Linda, people have brought their prescriptions to us for many years and up to approx. 4 weeks ago we were a bit patchy bur steady overall, it just seems this past month it has gone so quiet.

Rob

Just a thought ... direct contact with eye hospitals?

Hospitals like Moorfields need suppliers who can do "extreme glasses" fast. The kind of glasses I'm talking about are those which have lens as thick as ancient bottles (though coatings and special glass technology etc can improve their "look").