Offline retailers - how can they possibly compete with online retailers

I have to get something off my chest, something that happened to me recently… something that made me question how a certain offline brand can possibly compete with the online. Yes, this is slightly off topic in relation to social media of course but still concerns forward thinking marketing prowess.

The Scenario

Picture this, your son is turning 7 and is football crazy. He’s requested an England football kit (goodness knows why) with his name and favourite number printed on it. Not a problem, anything to see the smile on his little face. I do a fair amount of research online and find 3 companies who would do it, but they all look a little dodgy to be completely honest and I’m not convinced I want to spend my hard earned dough with them.

So I decide on a trip to Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth, a fantastic spot for a bit of shopping and not a million miles away. I find a Sports Direct store there and my luck’s in – they do the kit I’m after and do all the printing too – I can also see a sample to check the quality, which is fantastic. It’s also £5 cheaper than on line too – turn up for the books!

The only downside is that I have to wait 2 hours for the printing to dry – acceptable and no moans here. But, I’m called back to the office and decide to call the shop and get it delivered – simple right?
Wrong! Later that afternoon I make the call and get a rather fed up sounding shop assistant who tells me she is too busy to talk to me. Fair enough… I’ll call back in 30 mins and here’s how the conversation went.
Ring Ring, Ring Ring

“ello, Sports Direct?”

“Hi, I purchased and paid for a football kit earlier but unfortunately had to leave Portsmouth so was wondering whether you’d be kind enough to put it in the post for me please?”

“Nah, we don’t do that service”

“Why is that then?”

“Company policy”

“OK… so where does that leave me?”

“You’ll have to come back and collect”

“Even if I pay you an extra £5 for postage”

“Yep”.

“Hmmm… I don’t get it, but seeing as I’m British I’ll just keep my mouth shut and not moan any more, I’ll collect in a week”.

A week passes and I make a special journey back down to Portsmouth which is a 2 hour round trip and about £20 worth of fuel.

I get to the shop, same lady is looking even more flustered this time and grunts at me. She snatches the receipt and shuffles off into some room out the back. She appears 5 minutes later with a bag with the kit in.

Yay – mission successful. She passes me the bag without even a glance let alone a smile and immediately grunts at another customer.

The real sting in this tale is what is written on the bag – “24 hour delivery”

Now you don’t need to be a marketing guru to see the issue here. So many retailers have moaned to me about online competition killing them – it’s time to take a long hard look at your best asset, CUSTOMER SERVICE and going that extra mile, for if you don’t then you won’t survive.

Invest in training your staff and an infrastructure that can go way and beyond the call of duty for your customer. Make shopping a pleasure again!

Rant over!!!

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Flash Dance Mob Or Flash Mob Dance?

We recently organised a Lady Gaga themed ‘flash mob dance off’ for The Bentall Centre in Kingston a few weeks back, but we’re not entirely sure whether the correct terminology for it is a ‘flash dance mob’ or ‘flash mob dance’... either way it was tonnes of fun and seemed to entertain the crowds.

The dance itself was well planned and choreographed by some friends at Vital Signz Dance, a very cool local dance troop – keep your eyes out for these guys as they are going places!

Check it out below:

Interested in arranging a flash mob to raise the profile of your brand?

Come and talk to us, we can help you plan your event, promote it and of course produce something for you to take to the masses online.

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6 emerging PR and journalism trends to watch out for

During the past 6 months we’ve spotted some very interesting social media related trends appearing that are set to directly affect the journalism and PR industries. Over the next 2 years these trends will grow in importance and restructure the marcomms industry as we know it and more so than it already has!

Public relations agencies employing/merging with SEO agencies and social media agencies

As the social media revolution evolves and PR agencies get to grips with the effect they can have on search rankings through effective online PR, we’ve been noticing a few of the UKs leading agencies make approaches to buy into SEO and emerging social media practices and/or employ SEO experts for their copy/keyword research, blogger outreach and conversation listening skills. PRs are increasingly recognising the importance of SEO in their offering and are looking to compete more effectively / add a differentiator that will help them win more business whilst create a sustainable future for themselves. We as a social media agency have had 2 such approaches in just 4 months!

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Who are the biggest spenders – Twitter or Facebook users?

We recently picked up on a fascinating research article (from ComScore) that addresses who are the biggest spenders in terms of social communities and how much they typically spend.

Interestingly it highlights the fact that more people are spending longer periods online and that is having a direct, positive effect on eCommerce… maybe because they are using social media to influence their buying decisions, or perhaps it’s just because they spend SO much time on social networks that they simply don’t have time to get to the shops!

Whatever the reason, it’s a very strong message to brands emphasising the importance of social media.

The article predicts that by the end of 2010, 9 out of 10 businesses will be engaging through social media and the likes of Facebook and Twitter – this is going to lead to a few interesting breakthroughs in learning how to monetise your presence across these networks.

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Social Media Marketing for Schools

You may have recently seen (or heard about) a school here in sleepy Surrey that recently acted out and sang their own cover of Pixie Lott’s ‘Boys & Girls’. What has gone from a tiny acorn of an idea for raising money for a worthwhile charity has become an internet sensation and ultimately the best PR marketing exercise in British schooling history. What a great advert for a great, forward thinking school!

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