brand Archives - American Quilt Retailer

Posted on December 21, 2022December 19, 2022 by AQR Piece by Piece

Happy Holidays from AQR

Happy Holidays from your friends at Creative Retailer! We hope the past year had more in store (literally and figuratively) than you hoped. As we look to 2023 we wanted to reflect on the past year.

Reflecting on 2022

The biggest change was our rebrand to Creative Retailer, expanding to creative arts beyond the world of quilting.
We also had our first live, in-person event that was so successful we had to plan even more. (Speaking of, registration is open for the next LIVE event in Oklahoma this May.)
Quilters once again rose to the occasion to support fundraisers sending aid for the War in Ukraine.
We continue to provide resources to retailers across the country and globe as the fast-paced world we live in transitions to more digital content.

As always, thank you for your continued support. We’ll see you in 2023 and hope you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous year ahead.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to Creative Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

Posted on October 15, 2021October 15, 2021 by AQR Piece by Piece

Creating a Stress-Free Retail Store

First, let’s address the elephant in the room; stress. Shopping is stressful! We’ve said it once before and we’ll say it again—you’re not selling products, you’re selling yourself.

Did you know 70% of customers leave a store due to the interaction they had with an employee there? On top of that, one in three customers have said they’ve lost their temper in a store. And for even more icing on the cake 88% of customers have researched their product before they go to purchase it. Realize your store evokes emotions, and try your best to make sure the space, your employees, and yourself don’t trigger bad feelings.

To understand what triggers your customers, you must understand your customer base. Then you can tailor your brick-and-mortar environment to exclude these stressors. Who is your customer, and what are they looking for? Your customer base’s emotional needs will help you determine what shopping style they’re looking for.

Types of brick-and-mortar shopping experiences

Some brick-and-mortar stores offer an experience (think IKEA). A good example of this is Adidas. Some Adidas stores have a treadmill in them so customers can try shoes on. They even have fitness coaches to give advice on the best shoes for the customer’s fitness preferences.

Others want a quick and simple experience. If this is your customer base, automate as much as your store as possible. Make sure you have a robust website with updated product and speedy online response times.

Of course, you can always shoot for something in the middle. (Think classes for your customers who want an experience and as much automation as possible for customers who would rather avoid interaction). Whatever it is, we hope your customers think of you as a trusting, helpful, and enjoyable brand!

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

Posted on February 9, 2021February 9, 2021 by AQR Piece by Piece

Omnichannel Marketing as a Quilt Retailer

Continuing our series on tech savvy-ness, we thought we’d take a deep dive into omnichannel marketing. In this article, you’ll learn about this new marketing tactic and how your business can benefit.

Omnichannel vs. Multichannel

There are many differences between omnichannel marketing and multichannel marekting. Firstly, multichannel marketing casts as large of a net as possible to get customers. In comparison, omnichannel marketing caters to the customer. For example, omnichannel marketing’s goal is to create the most seamless shopping experince for the customer across all platforms.

This means that regardless if you have a customer walk into your store, stumble across your products on Instagram, comment on your Facebook page, or any of the other ways a customer can manage to contact you, you deliver the same quality service.

Moreover, the thought behind omnichannel marketing is novel. Essentially the thinking is you already have the customer, and you are guiding that customer through the most seamless shopping experience as possible. Interesting stuff, right?

What are the benefits?

Businesses who do omnichannel marketing see a 91% higher increase year-over-year in customer retention compared to those who don’t. In conclusion, omnichannel marketing gives you the extra push to develop your brand and keep it consistent across all your platforms. A great place to start is by having all your links redirect back to your website across all of your social media channels. As a result, your business will see the benefits of omnichannel marekting immediately.

Inspiration for this post came from “Get Tech Savvy” by Sommer Leigh published in the December 2020 issue of American Quilt Retailer. Stay tuned to get more tidbits on how to stay tech savvy in our technology solution series.