Recently came across these photos of Superb Bicycle and I was very impressed by their merchandising, interior design, and branding. The shop is located on Beacon St. in Boston and also sells their goods online.
Designed by OZIIO, Superb Bicycle focuses on fixed gear and urban riding.
Images via Glam Shops
It's easy to get caught up in the Got-To-Win-The-Google-Search game and forget about the second largest search engine in the world, YouTube. YouTube is arguably more engaging than any other social platform and it allows people to make a personal connection far faster than Facebook, Twitter, etc. YouTube should be taken very seriously by all retailers and I strongly encourage building a strategy going forward on the channel. If you're skeptical, here are some absolutely crazy stats to prove how much of an impact YouTube is making:
All these stats came from here.
I've gone ahead and compiled some of my favorite bike shop videos to give you some ideas of what people are already doing. Check them out:
PEDAL by Gears Bike Shop
Gears Bike Shop did an amazing job in this video. It's calm, it's understated, it's clean. It never tries to sell you, rather it tries to convey an experience.
SPRING 2013 by Bicycle Gallery
Bicycle Gallery's video is here to sell you, but it's not Crazy Eddie on a car lot sales. It's showing you how the local shop is preparing for the coming season and dropping all sorts of ideas on how you can be a part of it. I especially love the final bit where they say what camera they used and how that camera was on sale at the store. Also, the music is perfect.
LESSONS IN LAYEROLOGY by Big Poppi Bicycle Company
Humor, humor, humor. Nothing wrong with having a bit of fun.
OUR COMPANY CULTURE by Big Poppi Bicycle Company
Going to give Big Poppi double props here. With this video they are teaching people about their culture. To quote Simon Sinek, "People don't buy from you because they need what you have, they buy because they believe what you believe." This video does that wonderfully. If you believe in fun, teamwork, and inclusive environments then you'll love Big Poppi... who just happens to sell and repair bicycles.
THE ART'S CYCLERY TRAILER by Art's Cyclery
Along the same lines the Art's Cyclery Trailer is showing us why they exist- to ride, race, teach, rip, soar, etc. It's short, it's clean, and it make me want to ride.
HOW WE ROLL by Mike's Bikes
The video from Mike's Bikes doesn't stop at telling us why they exist, they go on to say how they do it (locations, training, community-based) and what they do (bike sales, fit, repair). It might not be a video I watch twice, but it's definitely a video I will watch. Especially if I landed on this video when I hit their website.
Some honorable mentions:
Bicycle Gallery, Ride A Specialized
718 Cyclery, Inverted Bike Shop
North Shore Bike Shop, Commercial
Do you know of any great videos from bike retailers? If so, share them in the comments.
Hope you found this post helpful. If so, please consider sharing it. Thanks- Donny.
Want more? Take a look at Leading Out Retail. This book is a creative look at bicycle retail and teaches retailers simple strategies on how to increase profit through service, what the most important question to ask every customer is, and how to manage the dreaded Timmy Factor.
I'm always pleased when I see bike retailers rethinking the ordinary. For example, Broke Bike Alley in Fernie, BC, Canada has a couple of great new takes on the business card. Both of these cards achieve my two rules of great marketing:
1. Make a personal connection
2. Be very, very helpful.
The first business card doubles as a multi-tool, the second is a tire patch.
Want more? Take a look at Leading Out Retail. This book is a creative look at bicycle retail and teaches retailers simple strategies on how to increase profit through service, what the most important question to ask every customer is, and how to manage the dreaded Timmy Factor.
The greatest trick the internet ever pulled was convincing the world it would be easy to do.
If you want to know the ROI on your Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter feed, if you want to know the value of an impression, or if you want to constantly recreate your social campaigns, I hate to tell you that you're in for a lot of work There is a fallacy that says the internet is easy. That once you start tweeting fans, admiration, and money start rolling in.
It' all a lie. There is no easy button. No one-size-fits-all aggregation tool. There is only hard work combined with a clear vision.
There is an ROI on social, but first you have to understand your marketing strategy for the entire business. You show me the marketing strategy for the company, I will show you the ROI.
Social is not fast. It takes time, dedication, and a continued effort to connect to people you don't know. If you can't add value to someone's life then you're time on social is going to e painful (Hint: adding value is not selling you product. Not yet anyway.)
If you liked this, please consider sharing. Thanks- Donny
One of the oldest sales strategies is to reward repeat purchases. An old school example would be your neighborhood coffee shop that had a punch card telling you that after you buy nine lattes you’ll get the 10th for free. A more recent example would be when checking out at Petsmart or Petco (or thousands of other retailers) they will ask for your phone number, pull up your profile, and offer the lowest price possible on every bag of dog food.
If you're thinking of running a loyalty program I've put together some quick tips.
Do not call it a loyalty program.
These programs are not the definition of loyalty. These programs are about bribery. You are paying your customers to be repeat buyers. Treat them as such. Don’t paint a happy picture over it. People are smarter than that.
Instead I would brand the program after the business. Donny's Bike Shop Carbon Club or Donny's Bike Shop Deals.
Make it digital.
Having your customers carry a punch card is silly. Put their purchases in your POS system and track it digitally. When it is time for them to receive their tenth inner tube free, just tell them. Customers will thank you for tracking the little things and will recognize the value of giving you repeat business.
Don’t ignore the data.
The primary value for Petsmart and Petco is not in having a repeat customer, that is a byproduct. The big value is in having thorough data of their customers’ shopping habits. By recording their customers purchases they will have a detailed understanding of what inventory to carry, when people or more likely to buy dog toys, when people are likely to test a new brand of food, and so. No reason why the same data can't work for bike shops.
Consider having the customer buy in.
Rather than discounting for loyalty, Amazon sells loyalty through their Amazon Prime membership. For $79/year (soon t be more) membership gets you access to all sorts of rewards including free or discount shipping, free streaming of movies, and other discounts.
In a bike shop you could sell a quarterly or monthly membership package that gets people buying now for value given later.
What are some loyalty program you run? If you have a moment to comment or share it would great to hear from you. -Donny
Check out the book. Leading Out Retail is a creative look at bicycle retail and teaches retailers simple strategies on how to increase profit through service, what the most important question to ask every customer is, and how to manage the dreaded Timmy Factor.
Merriam-Webster defines marketing as “The activities that are involved in making people aware of a company’s products, making sure that the products are available to be bought, etc.” I would confidently say that this is the most boring definition of marketing I have ever read. Instead I believe that effective marketing- unlike advertising or branding -means only doing two things.
1. Maintain a positive connection with customers.
2. Be extremely helpful.
How do you maintain a positive connection? How are you being extremely helpful?
Thanks for reading. If you found this valuable, it would be great if you shared it. Thanks- Donny
Your Facebook post was brilliant but no one liked it, commented on it, or shared it. So what happened? Are you wasting your time on Facebook? Is social media really worth the time and effort?
This quick lesson plan teaches you the basics of being awesome on Facebook. This is not a strategy, this is tactical! I wrote it for bike retailers but really, these rules apply to anyone- big or small- brand, business, or person.
If you found this valuable I would appreciate it if you took a moment to share it. Thanks - Donny
In 1931 William J. Reilly wrote the Law of Retail Gravitation. He determined that larger cities will have larger spheres of influence than smaller ones. Meaning that the larger the city, the father people would travel to reach it in order to buy their goods. In an era when retail was at its infancy the law made perfect sense. It even led to one of the most popular phrases in retail which you can still hear uttered today, “Retail is all about location, location, location.”
In today's retail world there are no city limits. We can purchase a bike from the UK just as easily as we could purchase it from Australia or China or wherever. Which means it is time to update the Law of Retail Gravitation. Instead of saying the larger the city the greater the pull, I will instead say the better the retailer can connect with the customer the greater the pull.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you found value in this piece would you please consider sharing it on social? Thanks again. Donny
Happy New Year. On feeds, blogs, and newsletters there is always something to write about, always something to promote, and always something to look forward to. Here is a list of events retailers could be talking about this month.
Levi’s GranFondo
Tour Down Under
Cyclocross National Championships
Mountain Nationals
National Doprah Day
New Year’s Day
National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
Martin Luther King Day
Get to Know Your Customer Day
National Pie Day
Chinese New Year
Diet Resolution Week
Get Organized Month
Back-to-School
How could you turn these events into a talking point for your business?
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you found value in this piece would you please consider sharing it on social? Thanks again. Donny
In 2012, during the Specialized Dealer Event in Colorado, I presented idea on process, scheduling, sponsorship and more to over 400 independent bicycle retailers. It's 45 minutes long.
Bicycle Retailer and Industry News covered the presentation as well and in full disclosure I borrowed the "brevity, levity, and repetition" from Daniel Pink.
Topics covered:
Thanks for taking the time to read this far. If you found value in this piece would you please consider sharing it on social? Thanks again. Donny
