Franchise Update Magazine Issue II, 2016 | Page 38

CONSUMER MARKETING

Salesstrategy
Retail Theater

Competing in an e-tail world
BY KAY AINSLEY

T

here is much discussion in marketing
circles about how brick-and-mortar
businesses can compete with the
pricing and convenience of e-tailing. Yet for
all the appeal of e-tailing, brick-and-mortar
businesses maintain one huge advantage:
the ability to go beyond just selling product and allow the consumer to experience
and create a personal relationship with
their brand.
The best illustration of a brand experience I know is one I witnessed firsthand. It
happened at The Sage Room,
our favorite restaurant on
Hilton Head.
The Sage Room can make
any foodie’s heart beat faster
just thinking about what’s on
the menu. But a truly outstanding restaurant is more
than just the food, however
wonderful. On our semiannual pilgrimage to The Sage
Room we were seated at the
10-person “chef’s table”—seats
where we could talk with the
chefs and watch our meals being prepared—when another
couple came in with a woman
celebrating her 80th birthday.
We were talking with Matt,
the owner, while the woman
stared at the menu. We could
hear the couple attempt to
explain some of the more exotic entrees.
Sensing something might be amiss,
Matt nodded to us and leaned over to the
woman. “I hear it’s your birthday. What
would you like to have for dinner?” he asked.
The woman said she was deciding when
Matt told her to forget the menu and just
tell him her favorite dinner. The woman
insisted she could find something on the
menu and Matt switched gears. “What’s
your favorite meal?” he asked. When she
replied chicken fried steak, he smiled and,
without so much as a foodie grimace or a

36

roll of the eyes he asked, “Can I make it
for you the way I make it for my grandma?” Matt then disappeared into the back
kitchen sticking his head out only to ask
if she preferred potatoes or grits. All three
meals appeared at the same time and were
served with a flourish. While the couple
enjoyed their gourmet meal, the woman
beamed as she ate her chicken fried steak
and grits. The Sage Room had indeed
created a memorable birthday dinner and
brand experience for all.

Retail or
restaurant
“theater” begins
with creating
the proper
setting in the
location, one
that reflects the
personality of
the brand and
appeals to the
target customer.
Delivering the promise
While many brands promise a great experience, delivering on that promise is
harder than it looks. The type of great
brand experience it takes to overcome the
advantages offered by e-tailing do not occur by accident. In successful brands, the
desired experience is fundame