Are you coming out of Christmas fit and raring to go?
![Are you coming out of Christmas fit and raring to go?](http://coreuat-cdn.smartcompany.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/01/blog-brian-walker-200.jpg?fit=200%2C200)
So, weโve have had a wonderful Christmas, trade has been strong, inventory has moved beautifully, staff are highly motivated after beating their personal best over this period, database has grown substantially, plenty of cash reserves, best practice experiential retailing on display and all-in-all a brilliant โfitโ result with plenty of momentum into the New Year.
Does that sound like your retail business? Beating last year comfortably and sailing to a record result, ready to expand and grow the brand?
Or are we a little slower getting the new year started? Perhaps we are a little more unfit than we care to show? Are our sales a little soft, best people leaving, margins down, stock built up and a general unfit apathy in the place?
If this is the case, then perhaps we are the perfect time to review our business fitness and build some New Yearโs business fitness resolutions.
We see business fitness as having 10 essential success factors. These factors are:
Throughout these success factors, the customer should always be at the forefront. Profitable customer centricity is essential to the success of any retail business. That is operating with a focus on customer engagement that is profitable for both parties.
This focus inoculates the retail organization by informing their decision making and market delivery to achieve a consistently high and profitable customer experience. Your frontline staff are the ones speaking to customers day in and day out, they know what they want, so start the year by listening to their ideas and comments from the Christmas trading period.ย You may find your most important business fitness resolutions may come from them!
So when youโre setting your New Yearโs business resolutions for 2016, keep the 10 โbusiness fitnessโ success factors in mind. Donโt just blindly follow the leader this year, have confidence to create and enhance on a retail offer that makes you stand out from the crowd.
Keep agile, keep innovating and listen to your customers more than ever before and you will be set for a โfitโ 2016.
ย Happy โfitโ retailing!
ย Brian Walker is founder and CEO of retail consulting company, Retail Doctor Group. He specialises in the development and implementation of retail and franchise strategies.
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