I’m walking the floor...

I’m walking the floor at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas and it is wrapping up today. While, the name of the show includes hardware, the show is so much more than that specific category. It encompasses all of Home inside and out except soft lines and table-top to fine dining.  

Yes, just like the store floors, the Hardware Show crosses and crisscrosses many different product categories that you think wouldn’t naturally appear at a “Hardware Show”. 

Here are some of my fun finds this week that I found walking the show floor that are worthwhile to share:

• Garage Smart has Smart garage and storage products. Plus, the products are smart device controllable with a Bluetooth app or voice control. Really cool stuff!

• GCI Outdoor a fellow Husky neighbor has great beach chairs that are rockers. You can rock on the sand!!  It’s so comfortable and smooth!!  Can’t wait to get one!

• Bio Bidet has some really neat bidet toilet seats and shower heads. Plus, it’s weird to say but they were absolutely sleek and gorgeous!

• Liggoo is offering a new modular mobile product with all of the accessories. You can use it 5 ways even as a flashlight!

The floor has more than 2500 exhibitors; so, it’s difficult to share all of the products that are interesting because there are so many. Plus, Smart home automation is a feature area that I really enjoyed visiting.  Regardless of what Business-to-Business trade show I attend, Smart Home is the emerging new category to watch!

I’m wrapping this up because I want to squeeze in some more time to walk the show floor to find some more interesting products!  Stay tuned...

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit. 

Please follow the new eRetailer Summit showcase page on LinkedIn here.

My Omnichannel experiment...

I never get to conduct experiments in my family that’s usually left up to our daughter. She loves anything science. We never know what we might find in a bowl or in the freezer. We call her the “mad scientist” and love (sort of) every gooey and smelly experiment that she conducts.

So, last week I decided to conduct my very own experiment based on a retail journey. It’s not exactly scientific but let’s call it my “Omnichannel” experience. I needed some materials and decided to order online and pick-up my purchase later at the store.

So, I set out to do my shopping one night while lounging and watching TV in the comfort of my home. Easy shopping, found it quickly, then searched for an online coupon code. Found one, 40% off! Entered it in the promo code area and I hit apply. Bingo, it worked! Off to a good start, my product is ordered and I got a discount. (But if I were in the store I would have definitely been able to use one competitor’s coupon in addition to the store coupon). So, ordering online gave me convenience and my store discount but because I didn’t make my purchase in-store I lost some savings by not being able to use a competitor’s coupon too.

The next step in my journey, I received a confirmation email from the store that they received my order. Also, my husband received a confirmation email (I added him as a second person that could pick up the purchase just in case I wouldn’t be able to make time to get there).

Within one day after my initial communication I received notification that my purchase was ready for pick up. And, the notification listed the last possible day I could pick up my products.

A couple of days passed by and finally I set out one late morning to pick up my products that I ordered online. I parked in the store’s lot, pushed the ignition button off and hit my timer on my smart phone. I thought, let me see how long this takes from parked car to pick up.

I entered the store and the first thing I saw was a stand-alone no nonsense sign telling me exactly where to go to pick up my online order.

Signage was at the entrance!

Easy counter sign at pick-up location

I went to the back of the store and the associate asked my name, found my purchase, checked my license for ID all the while having a nice conversation. I got my purchase and stopped the timer.

From parked car to pick up it was a mere 4 minutes and 24 seconds. Wow! Under 5 minutes! That even takes into account that I stopped to read the sign, took photos of the sign up front and at the pick-up counter; and, I talked to the sales associate. You can’t beat that if it’s all about convenience and time.

I had my product in hand; so, I didn’t shop the store even though the retailer cleverly put the online pick up counter at the back of the store so I had to walk past merchandise.

The retailer is definitely driving traffic into the store with online pick up but are they really driving more merchandise sales? I walked into the store, picked up my online purchase and walked out. So, based on my experiment I would say no. But then again, I might not be the typical order online and pick up at store customer.

Just imagine, if I picked up my order and the sales associate would have given me a reason to shop the store. What about here’s a discount for shopping online only good to use in store right now? Very few can resist a deal! There’s always something to purchase!

While my experiment didn’t involve moths or shaving cream it was still a fun journey for me; and, I plan on adding more Omnichannel experiences to my experiment list in the future.

By the way, in case you wondering the current experiment living in a bowl in my kitchen is a moth and we’re looking forward to seeing it become a beautiful butterfly!

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit. 

Please follow the new eRetailer Summit showcase page on LinkedIn here.

Meet The Grommet!

Nice to personally meet The Grommet!

It’s always an interesting journey to visit a retail company’s headquarters and learn more about that company’s mission, its people and its values. And, the best part, you learn all about the brand right in its headquarters directly from the employees living and breathing the mission and the values of the corporation. Earlier this week, I took a drive up to Somerville, Massachusetts (an interesting side note the GPS address is Cambridge, MA) to visit and learn more about The Grommet at its headquarters.

A huge thanks to Ryan DeChance, Director, Discovery and Meredith Doherty, VP of Discovery for their hospitality. They were the perfect hosts!

I have been following The Grommet for years and they recently were recognized and awarded the “Design Influencer of the Year Award” by HomeWorld Business magazine.

The Grommet is known for approaching retail differently by discovering new innovative products and bringing them to market quickly; all the while celebrating the maker.

When I arrived at their HQ I realized I probably did not know as much about them as I thought. They are located in a two story brick building off of a sleepy side street. When I walked in the lobby hit me with a display products. My host, Ryan DeChance, Directory of Discovery pointed out some of the notable products displayed in the lobby that I might know like Mrs. Meyer’s Natural Cleaning Products, the Fitbit and the Pocket Monkey just to name a few brands that The Grommet helped to make household brand names. 

It’s an open air working environment where offices with doors line the perimeter of the building; and, a couple of dogs play around with each other.The humor and creativity shows throughout the office space.

Whether it is the coaster displayed on the side tables in the lobby with the co-founders photograph.

Or, the large chalkboard in the kitchen area that has a different playful question every other week.

The personality of The Grommet was alive and well during my visit displaying creativity, intelligence, fun, high-energy and hard at work employees. I want to share with you some information about The Grommet that I did not know:

• Their shoppers are 70% women.
• They really do launch at least one new product a day on their website. (Sometimes two!). Yes you read correctly - each and every day!
• Once they identify an innovative product they make sure that the maker has the expertise to succeed and part of the process includes support with operations, PR, distribution, etc.
• They operate a wholesale arm in addition to direct to consumer.
• They operate a brick and mortar store and The Grommet features products in select Ace Hardware stores nationwide.

There is so much more that I discovered that cannot be covered here but you can find out more about The Grommet at the Home Improvement eRetailer Summit.  Ryan DeChance, Director of Discovery, The Grommet will join us and deliver a keynote address.

So come out and meet The Grommet and a stellar line-up of ecommerce leaders and speakers in- person November 7-9 at the Hotel Monaco Chicago, Downtown Chicago, IL and learn more about home improvement ecommerce. Sign up today!

Hope to personally meet you too!

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit. 

Please follow the new eRetailer Summit showcase page on LinkedIn here.