It might not seem that the video giant that’s upending the world of TV and movies would have much to do with your wine shop, but it does. [level-members]
Before we get into the how and why, let me just say that if yours is the kind of shop that has Yellow Tail displayed front and center, you may have bigger problems.
As this article about Tasting Room lays out – perhaps with too much hyperbole – the same disruptive technology-driven forces that killed both the mom-and-pop and national chain retail stores are finding their way into other areas of retail.
Of course, wine – we hope – can’t be transmogrified from a physical product to bits and bytes as TV and movies have been, but lazy merchandising and the realities of brick and mortar’s disadvantages are present in our stores, which makes them attractive to those with a more technological bent. Like the folks at Tasting Room.
And since the younger generation is all the more receptive to technology-driven retail, you need a plan to fight back. I won’t pretend to have the answers, but I’ll certainly stake my reputation on the fact that you can’t compete on price, you probably can’t compete on selection, and even convenience is getting to be a dicier proposition.
You’re going to have to compete on service. That means no indifferent employees, no crap wines at the front of the store, no “mailing it in” and hoping that the old “location, location, location” mantra continues to see you through. Because your wine shop customers have more options than ever. You need to make your shop the most attractive option.
[/level-members]