Brand Interactions

Stutters in the Retail Experience, p.1

Julia over at Adaptive Path (a really great feed, by the by) writes today about missed opportunities in the retail clothing space - specifically, within the dressing rooms.

I’ve had similar, if less-eloquently-articulated thoughts lately on the retail supermarket space. I regularly drive fifteen minutes to a supermarket in a neighboring town, when their direct competitor is located about an eighth of a mile from my home (close enough to walk, far enough that my yard escapes the neon glow of the signage). I do this not because the former offers a significantly better selection (it does not), nor because their prices are any better (ditto), but rather because the supermarket in my neighborhood is sad.

Poor lighting, self-checkout lanes that are closed (!), aisles that are cluttered and poorly labeled - all problems that are fairly easily-remedied, and yet go unchecked.

For its’ lack of ‘consumer usability’, my local store is losing the roughly $8,500 my family spends annually on groceries. I wonder how many others in my neighborhood make the same trek that I do, and wonder what the cost of installing new lighting and signage might be for this retailer.

More thoughts stemming from Julia’s article forthcoming.

© 2007 Heavyset.