The consumer, influenced by the changing world, society, and family needs, represents a class of people with direct impact on business and the economy. The global marketplace is seeing a dramatic shift from discretionary and impulse spending to more quality and calculated purchases (i.e. big-box to online). The retail sector is faced with a new need to be on the forefront of not only its products to offset new competition, but also to combat its own expenses to maintain profitability against another similar company with little to no overhead.
The same consumer from just 5 years ago is now more savvy about the products and availability as never before - putting pressure on the retailer to be fresh and new and in sync with what the consumer sees and wants. No longer is there an option to maintain the status quo when it is easier than ever before for the consumer to walk away and purchase elsewhere.
Adding to what the modern-retailer now needs to be concerned about, is a social-connection to its products and services. Social in the indirect impacts the retailer and/or its products are contributing to their consumers and physical surroundings. The option to maintain isolation between retail and a shrinking-world is non-existent.
So, what are some of the new concerns the retailer and their employees need to be aware of to maintain social and market-sustainability?
- A live connection to the needs of the public - Global warming is no longer contested, it becomes an impression of how much the retailer cares for its patrons and assisting them alleviate their concerns. A conscious aide in not only further educating them of what it is, but how each and every decision has a global-impact. The partons will see the retailer as part of the solution, not part of the status quo.
- A social connection to the needs of the community - The days of mom-and-pop shops are gone to the way of the powerful big box pushing out the little people. This is a powerful negative image that is difficult to shake - just ask Wal-Mart. A key sustainable ingredient that many businesses lack is an ability to connect with their surroundings. You connect with the people that shop at your store and you've got yourself a loyal customer for life - regardless of inevitable price hikes and online competition! GreenOfaKind.com is not a consultant for retailers to improve their bottom line - but we do offer ideas which contribute to global sustainability starting at a macro scale.
- For example - The average person in the U.S. throws away nearly 70 pounds of clothing and textiles a year, according to the Council for Textile Recycling in the United States. A retailer's acceptance of the facts and doing something about it not only directly (visually for the public) but indirectly (behind the scenes recycling and re-claiming), provides a very powerful foundation for a new relationship with its socially-aware customers and built environment (not bad PR, either!).
- Employers that care have employees that care - This is not for image-sake and does not reside solely in retail - but across all disciplines. An employer that sets an example to think and act on larger scales and for larger meaning attracts employees who share in that vision and elevate it by dedication, loyalty, and pride. This "care" cannot be fake - it's inevitable that it's discovered only to tarnish an image to an irreversible level.
- Your customers are smart - Retailers have to be smarter! Like mentioned before, the internet has opened up a new frontier in educating the public and swaying their purchasing power - ignoring this is futile. Rather than pretending it's not there, give them credit and give them what they want and need. Inevitably, your decisions today can and will impact both micro and macro longevity. Be honest with them - they will return the favor!
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