Brilliant!

Discovered "Quarter Twenty One" today in Sydney. Absolutely brilliant retail concept. Just launched and created by Justin North of 'Becasse' fame.











The concept is a multi-layered food and eating experience combining restaurant, cooking school, wine store and market providore. You can shop, eat and cook all in the one spot.





First thing that drew me in was their name and the promise beneath it to "feed the soul." This is really "lived" thru the store - right down to the labels.






Admittedly "soul" isn't a word you typically expect to see in relation to retailing food. That's why it works. For me the word captures an emotional, nurturing truth about cooking and eating. A recognition that whilst you start with the "raw ingredients" its what they enable you to create, share and experience that ultimately matters most.






Their displays are colourful and sensory. As we stepped inside we were greeted by staff who offered samples of their cheeses (which were superb!).





This was backed up with a great cheese range - not to mention an incredible array of sommelier selected wines. Oh, and did I mention they also have an on-site butcher too?

The whole store exuded a sensory "slow food" philosophy with fresh produce sourced from Australian producers. You feel a permission to linger and explore, which is made easier by the extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff.

I loved their use of theatre in areas like the meat displays below ...






Everything in the store has a story - from their name (21 grams is hypothesised to be the "weight" of our souls) to the produce - be it provenance, seasonality etc I bought a marmalade from the southern highlands which I can't wait to try.






Definitely worth a visit.


- Posted from my iPhone

Customer service = competitive edge

Have been out and about across various retailers in Sydney this long weekend. And the one thing that stood out was the lack of great customer service.

I was in one of Sydney's biggest retailers and the absence of staff on the floor was mind boggling. My favourite sign? "Queue here for service"

Talk about a contradiction.

Note to the retailers: your shoppers notice. And they don't like it.

On three separate occasions in two different stores I overheard comments about the lack of available help and service.

Several ideas came to mind.

First, using customer service as competitive differentiation.

I couldn't help but reflect on the 2011 IBM smarter shoppers study. I attended the Sydney presentation where they shared their brilliant piece of (global) research. Their report showed that shoppers (of all ages) are becoming more "instrumented" (using technology to shop). Furthermore, the retailers who'll win the most hearts and minds will be the ones willing and able to serve, listen and empower their shoppers. They weren't talking about battling it out on "lowest price" - they were talking about future competition being shaped and shared by "best experience" (see my previous posts here on Value)

Second, it got me thinking about the application of technology at-retail. Think: AR, tablets, interactive smart surfaces, mobile etc. Technology opens up multiple possibilities - not least of which would be providing & supporting sales staff with the tools to deliver world class service experiences.

Thanks to M&C Saatchi, I'm heading off next week on the global retail study tour. I can't wait!

I'm keen to see how global retailers are delivering world class customer service (read: 'brand') experiences and integrating innovative uses of digital within their retailing environments to build competitive advantage.

Watch this space!

Easter Windows in Sydney

Spotted these today at Guylian store in Sydney - fantastic!






- Posted from my iPhone

Now and next in retail launched

I've just updated my blog name to better reflect what I write about, namely trends, developments and observations from the world of retail. Stay tuned!............