My last few months have been a whirlwind of travel. I’m ready for a well-needed break which I’ll be able to take in April. While traveling to Germany for IMM and Living
Kitchen, KBIS, TICE, two buy fairs, LV World Market, the International Housewares Show, ASTI and Arch Digest, I’ve seen hundreds of thousands of very upbeat and excited people.

KBIS, the featured expo in this issue, was absolutely stunning. The numbers still aren’t in, but a good guesstimate is that KBIS drew well over a hundred thousand visitors for Design and Construction Week – a 30% increase over last year, and one of the biggest of all time. Many manufactures stepped up their game with larger booths and many new products, which we will highlight over the next few months starting with this issue.

IMM and Living Kitchen were two big highlights of my travels. Cologne, Germany is a great city for trade fairs, with gigantic facilities. Filling 11 halls, some with two stories, these shows definitely warranted a transatlantic trip. Living Kitchen showed the newest trends in the kitchen, and IMM had more furniture offerings than I’ve ever seen. I’m looking forward to returning in 2021, and this time I’ll add a few more days since two just weren’t enough.

As for all the other shows and buy fairs I visited – I can only say a big triple-WOW!!! The attendees were excited, the vendors were joyous, and the general atmosphere was truly upbeat. A large number of these shows achieved double-digit growth in attendance and significantly more vendors than in prior years. The outlook for this year is great, and we can’t wait to show you these fantastic events in our upcoming spring and summer issues.

Happy Retailing,
Moe Lastfogel
​moe@retailobserver.com

In today’s economy, you can no longer get by with just the basics. By this, I mean people want more than just the products you are selling. They want delivery, installation and warranties all served with a smile. How do you think your customers’ loyalty would grow if you met their wants and desires?

Delivery is simple. You schedule an appointment, drop off a box, and sometimes install the product—no problem. How about offering “White Glove Service”? A uniformed installer, carpet runners, shoe covers, and yes, white gloves. Add a small vacuum and clean up after the installation and boom! — the customer gets the works.

How many times have you received a call from a client who didn’t understand how to use their new product? In-store classes are a great side order. Offer once a week, bi-monthly, or monthly classes on convection or induction cooking, or how to use and integrate SMART products. Many distributors or manufacturers would aid in making these classes happen if you used their products. Offer these classes to potential customers and to those who have already purchased a product. Heck, if the order was big enough, send a personal chef or tech out to teach them in-home. This offer can also be a money maker if you offer it as a package line item.

The ideas are endless as to how to make the customer’s experience different from that of the box store. That’s one of the biggest advantages you have as an independent retailer. Think outside of the box and add that extra feature to make your customer think that they’ve just received the best product offering ever. Let’s face it: a box is a box, it’s how you present it that makes it—and your business—special.

Happy Retailing,
Moe Lastfogel
moe@retailobserver.com