Retail roadshow to reveal green shoots

A three-week tour of retail in Australia, New Zealand and the US will reveal green shoots for the retail marketplace. One to watch: Wal-Mart’s world-class in-store success plan and how Australia and NZ can learn from its success.

While retail is cautious the world over, some brands have a vision for growth supported clearly by plans that will deliver innovation, increase foot-fall and drive sales and market growth.

Over the next two weeks I will travel to the head offices of retailers implementing these initiatives. I’ll be sharing Australian and New Zealand success stories from the current retail environment, as well as scouting for green shoots that we can apply in our own markets.  Each week I’ll blog my findings.

In January this year I walked Auckland’s retail centres to discover a sharp decline in the luxury retail category, with the closure of many stores in the Chancery shopping precinct. But brands like Bunnings Hardware were leading, with positive sales and a definite path forward with innovation.

When I visit again next week, I’ll be looking for changes playing out in this market, and I’ll blog what I find.

On to Dallas, Texas, where I’ll visit the head office of Crossmark US and the grocer HE Butts, a leader in innovation, with probably the best “new shopper” hook in the business – a “new baby” focus to attract young mums.

Then to Bentonville to visit our company’s largest client worldwide: Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart is the world’s biggest retail superpower, long leading the world in retail productivity. In late January this year Wal-Mart, with Crossmark’s support, launched a huge new initiative in store to entertain shoppers by creating Wal-Mart branded in-store theatre.

New store fit outs, clearer single price point displays, and uncluttered aisles now makes shopping there not just about saving money, but about experience. Is it working?

Reportedly, customers are having more fun, and returning more often. Overall US retail sales rose by 0.7% in February. Wal-Mart posted an increase of 5.1%, without which industry sales would have fallen by just over 4%. I take that as a yes.

Differentiation is the future of retail, via both product offering and in-store experience.

Next stop is the annual NARMS (National Association for Retail Marketing Services) conference in Colorado Springs.

Here all the top retailers, manufacturers and retail marketers will gather for America’s biggest retail and manufacturing conference of the year. It is the ideas hub, and all attending will be greedy for new thoughts on gaining customer advantage.

While in the US I’ll have the rare and great pleasure of spending time with Paco Underhill, the social researcher and thought leader in consumer behaviour and retail response. His book, “Why We Buy”, is the bible of every respectable retailer and his insights into the current retail climate will no doubt reveal more of the green shoots I’m trawling for.

Now more than ever, successful retailers and manufacturers will work together and invest to see the greatest growth. I’m looking forward to being in the thick of it, working with international retailers to revolutionise the way we sell, and appeal better to the constantly evolving shopper.

In his role as CEO of CROSSMARK, Kevin Moore looks at the world of retailing from grocery to pharmacy, bottle shops to car dealers, corner store to department stores. In this insightful blog, Kevin covers retail news, ideas, companies and emerging opportunities in Australia, NZ, the US and Europe. His international career in sales and marketing has seen him responsible for business in over 40 countries, which has earned him grey hair and a wealth of expertise in international retailers and brands. CROSSMARK Asia Pacific is Australasia’s largest provider of retail marketing services, consulting to and servicing some of Australasia’s biggest retailers and manufacturers.

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