Learn from the Best: Thoughts from Famous Retailers

During busy weeks, it’s helpful to take a few minutes to stop, think, and improve. There’s always something to learn, from improving customer service to building a stronger company culture. Here’s some inspiration from some of the top leaders in retail to start your week off well:

“In the end, the customer doesn’t know, or care, if you are small or large as an organization…she or he only focuses on the garment hanging on the rail in the store.” –Giorgio Armani, Founder of Giorgio Armani 

“Our mission statement about treating people with respect and dignity is not just words but a creed we live by every day. You can’t expect your employees to exceed the expectations of your customers if you don’t exceed the employees’ expectations of management.”–Howard Schultz. CEO of Starbucks

“If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.” –Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon

“If you’re a big-picture guy, you’re not in the picture. Retail is detail.”  –James Sinegal, CEO of Costco

“The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want. And really, if you think about it from the point of view of the customer, you want everything: a wide assortment of good quality merchandise; the lowest possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly, knowledgeable service; convenient hours; free parking; a pleasant shopping experience.” –Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart

“We believe that customer service shouldn’t be just a department; it should be the entire company.” –Tony Hsieh, CRO of Zappos.com

“Your vision is very important. You should know whom you’re selling to, what your marketing and advertising says about you, and whom it’s speaking to. Me personally, I don’t try to please everyone. I understand who I am selling to and I work towards that vision all the time.” –Ralph Lauren, Founder of Ralph Lauren

 

“The friendly smile, the word of greeting, are certainly something fleeting and seemingly insubstantial. You can’t take them with you. But they work for good beyond your power to measure their influence. It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most.” –James Cash Penney, Founder of JCPenney

“What is good for our customers is also, in the long run, good for us. “ –Ingovar Kamprad, CEO of IKEA

“Those department stores that have survived the decades did so by keeping pace with customer needs and preferences.” –Terry Lundgren, CEO of Macy’s

Visit our website today or call us at 1-800-999-0771 to find out how Specialty Store Services can help with your store fixture and display needs. Maybe in a couple of year we will be quoting you too. 

More Jewelry Display Ideas

It can be a challenge to constantly come up with new jewelry display ideas. But there’s no need to keep buying new displays or constructing them yourself in what little free time you have; just purchase some classic quality displays and jazz them up.

Take the miniature body form, for example. This form is firm foam covered with jersey material, perfect for pinning on broaches, draping on necklaces or bracelets or for displaying earrings by inserting the posts into the foam. I decided to display more jewelry by tying a filmy black scarf around the form’s waist, pinning a pretty broach on the knot and then hanging earrings on the scarf. Notice how the jewelry pops against the fabric, including the bracelets displayed on the scarf overflow. The jewelry body form is available in black, as well.

Combine the scarf-draped body form with some elegant black velvet jewelry displays and you’ve got an attractive and eye-catching set up. I really like black velvet displays. Whether the jewelry is silver, gold, bronze, gemstone or multicolored beads, the jewelry really stands out and looks so pretty. The only thing that may not stand out on the black velvet displays is onyx and jet jewelry but that’s okay, because black jewelry looks great on the white body form and the rosewood displays.

Notice how nicely the black necklace and earrings look on the white faux leather and rosewood displays in the autumn themed arrangement. The warm-toned, glossy rosewood displays are elegant and sophisticated, great for showcasing any type of jewelry and wonderful for use in any seasonal display. Seasonal displays are simple; just incorporate some small items that reflect the current season. You needn’t spend a ton of money, either; you can go to a dollar store to pick up leaves, as shown, or flowers for spring displays and sparkly ornaments for the winter holidays. Colored glass stones would look nice scattered throughout a grouping of displays placed on a mirror and you can even put them in the unused jewelry compartments to create more visual interest. Use a colored tablecloth to set the tone and see where your imagination leads you.

Specialty Store Services Back at the H.H. Backer Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show

Specialty Store Services is pleased to be returning to the 45th Annual H.H. Backer Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show and Educational Conference, October 14-16, 2011, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Knowledgeable Account Managers will be at booth 4638 to provide information regarding Specialty Store Services’ numerous retail store fixtures, displays and retail supplies as well as warehouse support and logistical solutions.

“Specialty Store Services has been providing store fixtures on a corporate level for nearly 25 years” states Quico Ayala, Account Manager for Specialty Store Services. “The Backer Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show provides our company the perfect opportunity to establish and expand relationships with both single store and multi-store business owners. Our service, flexibility, and attention to detail are what separate us from our competition. Come see us at booth number 4638.”

Specialty Store Services will be one of the 700+ pet supply manufacturers and distributors displaying their wares at the Show this year. Be sure to visit booth 4638 in between the grooming demonstrations and the free education sessions regarding operations, marketing and animal care.

About Specialty Store Services
Specialty Store Services, a second-generation family owned business, offers everything necessary to operate a thriving retail store, from logistical solutions and retail supplies to custom and stock fixtures. Over the last 25 years this service-driven company has cultivated relationships with global partners while developing the expertise and knowledge required to provide competitive prices, outstanding customer service and quality products.

Retail Window Display Ideas

While cruising the web I came across some fun ideas for retail window displays using items that are relatively easy to get hold of. Window displays do not need to be expensive in order to be effective; sometimes you just need to think outside the box.

Tasty Display. When I saw this pretty window I thought “Why just display cupcakes on that cupcake display?” Yes, it is certainly appropriate for baked goods but how about using the tiered plate display (which many people have hiding in their own kitchen cabinets) to showcase small items such as pet treats, fashion accessories, makeup, wallets, baby shoes and other small items? And I love the huge martini glass. The big marshmallows are cute filler but I was thinking it would be interesting to hang large, dangly earrings, necklaces or bracelets off the side and fluff solid colored contrasting tissue paper in the glass to offset the jewelry. I think that little martini glasses used in table top displays in this manner would be adorable, as well; just substitute stones or crinkle shredded paper instead of tissue paper.

Crate Expectations. Wooden crates that you can find at any produce market lend a rugged look to this window display but the clean lines of the crates and fun colors of the clothing keep the display from looking dumpy. I think that these clean, light toned crates are like blue jeans; you can dress them up or down. Feel free to couple the crates with jewelry displays or small appliances or fancy shoes. Positioning the crates together on their sides and upright lends depth and dimension to the display. You can also cover the crates with a solid-colored expanse of fabric or cloth, smooth the cloth down to emphasize the varying heights, tuck the cloth under the crates and then place your merchandise on the covered crates. Voila! A subtle backdrop that also offers visual interest.

As always, keep your signage simple and legible and keep your color scheme down to a minimum of two or three colors so the display isn’t too busy. Remember, you have 3 seconds to grab attention but if the display doesn’t flow and allow the eye to travel easily, you will lose that attention just as quickly.

Specialty Store Services to Exhibit at NACS Show

Specialty Store Services is pleased to be exhibiting at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Expo October 2 – 4, 2011, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Knowledgeable Account Managers will be at booth #414 to provide information regarding Specialty Store Services’ numerous retail store fixtures, displays and retail supplies.

Quico Ayala, Account Manager for Specialty Store Services states, “Specialty Store Services has been providing store fixtures on a corporate level for over 20 years. The NACS Show provides our company the perfect platform to network and expand our relationships with both single store and multi-store business owners. Our service, flexibility, and attention to detail are what separate us from our competition. Come see us at booth number 414.”

This year’s show, which is the 50th anniversary of NACS’s first meeting, will include workshops, general sessions and feature Tom Brokaw as the Closing General Session Speaker in addition to hosting another expansive expo. We look forward to seeing you there!