Today...is a great day!

Today...I responded to a question posed by retail consultants Kizer & Bender about honoring competitors' coupons. It goes a little something like this:

There needs to be a way for the independent retailer to stand apart from the larger box stores, in pricing and not just product selection and customer service. It should be something that consistently pulls the consumer into the store and rewards them for being there, not because they have a coupon, from a competitor or otherwise. Additionally, the whole notion of "couponing" cheapens he image of the category.

The National Scrapbooking Association offers a creative solution that is super simple for retailers. Every consumer member of the NSA can download and print their membership card, which shows their name, address and expiration date. The consumer presents their membership card to participating retailers for a discount of what they purchase. The retailer sets the discount (generally a percentage of 5-10%) and can adjust it to maximize marketing opportunities. For example, offering 15% off on special days like National Scrapbooking Day.

The benefits for the retailer are numerous: it's a program they don't have to manage, initiate, mantain, print, distribute, punch, etc.; there is no cost and very little risk; the responsibility is placed on the customer to keep their membership up to date and to present their card; the discount is customizable and controlled by the retailer; the discount is tied to cash flow, not dictated by the competition.

The benefits for the customer are plenty, too: there's only one card to keep up with! and additional cards can be printed if one is lost (the retailer may ask for ID to verify the cardholder); the discount applies just for walking into the store, not accumulating punch cards - which are usually lost; and there is immediate satisfaction, not guilt for spending so much money.

Best of all it allows the independent retailer to compete on a more level playing field: against other independents on the merits of service and selection, not with the box stores where there is neither.

Veronica Hugger
National Scrapbooking Association

ETP!

Labels: pudding, retail tips