Joseph Shenton’s Post

Retail Nightmare: Why won't customers go upstairs? I’ve pondered this frequently since we completed a £100k refurb of our Stretford showroom last Summer. Our expectation was that with plenty of directional signage in-store, customers would flow up and downstairs with the same ease as they move across the ground floor. We were wrong. We thought the simplicity of layout would make navigating the store easy for customers and consequently enjoy their furniture shopping experience better with us. By simplicity, I mean dividing the store up by our product categories: Ground Floor - Sofas, Chairs, Dining Furniture 1st Floor - Beds & Mattresses However, customers wouldn’t go upstairs without a real desire for a new bed/mattress or encouragement from sales staff. Something had to change. After doing plenty of research of how stores with the same multilevel selling problem have overcome the issue, I landed on 3 changes we were to implement: Change 1 - Snapshot on Ground Floor Despite ample signage and online advertisement, customers simply didn’t realise what else we sold. We were perhaps arrogant in the belief that customers would be intrigued enough to venture through every area of the store. To fix this, we decided to bring beds & mattresses downstairs and replace them with sofas and sale items. Customers could now see every product category on the entry floor. The impact of directional signage pales in affect to the eye having a clear line of sight of the goods. Change 2 -  Clearance Sale Items Upstairs To overcome the difficulty of moving customers upstairs, we wanted to make the journey as attractive as possible. To draw patrons up we needed something attractive on the 1st floor. After all, that is why restaurants are always found near the top of Department stores. It couldn’t be items that were physically attractive as customers couldn’t see them. The idea of it had to be attractive. That’s why we decided to put all clearance sale items upstairs. If there’s one thing that will make customers appetite to travel a little further, its a bargain. Change 3 - TV Screen Showing Live Feed of Upstairs We had to make the invisible, visible. With a concrete floor separating the first and ground floors, we didn’t love the idea of digging it up and replacing it with a transparent glass floor. So we went with the next best thing - a live feed. We bought the same camera and wiring used by a car’s reversing camera system and input it to a flat screen TV. Just like that customers could see through that opaque concrete floor. There may not be a singular item that attracts them up but the visualisation of more options upstairs is enough to get those feet moving. Time will tell as to whether the changes we’ve made will deliver a long-term change but we are happy to report a short-term increase in sales at the Stretford store. Perhaps, more telling, is the dramatic increase in mattress sales. 

We’ve had a busy last Few Months. Watch the full video on YouTube to see what we’ve been up to & our plans going forward - https://lnkd.in/ewcZ4mP5

Looking for PPC search engine/meta agencies. Specifically those willing to work on a performance fee only basis. I get littered with e-mails from PPC agencies on a weekly basis, so looking for one that stands out from the rest and is willing to put their money where their mouth is. Get in touch 😁

Big end to the Year. Stockport WE ARE BACK. Big thanks to the below for getting this deal completed: 1) Rhys Langley (HCR Law)- Solicitor 2) Tom Prescott (Barker Proudlove) - Agent 3) Matthew Grant (Stockport Council) 4) James West (Joseph James Furniture Outlet LLP) - Project Manager (thanks in advance) We hope to see strong physical growth in 2024 and this new showroom is a big leap in that direction. At a time where retail presence on the high street is declining, we still see great opportunity for stores with a strong experiential element.

Recruitment & staff management is an on-going problem. In this week's episode you can see how we go about some of our recruitment efforts along with lots more - https://lnkd.in/edBWgW84

Joseph James were out in full force at the Altrincham 10km. The team + family all successfully completed the race, albeit at different times. 1) Me (top dog) 47:49 2) Gareth Scott 48:20 3) Tommy McCormack 54:04 4) James Pullen 58:06 5) Siobhan Scott 58:19 6) Amelia Jefford 1:03:57 7) Lisa Gibbs 01:19:47 Good Effort all 🏃💨

Do you know anybody at CineWorld or Odeon? Could anybody put me in contact with middle to senior management regarding merchandising - I have a furniture related idea I would like to explore with them....