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The Gifted Retailer

GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 9/21/2011 3:45:00 PM

We might be in a down economy and looking to cut corners, but owner Liz White of Mason & Madison in Middleton, MA, says skimping on marketing is a big mistake.

Gifts & Decorative Accessories: What do you like best about being a retailer? Mason & Madison
Liz White: It's hard to list just one reason! I love the creative part of my job. I love my buying trips to the different shows. It's such a rush to see what the manufactures do with their products and I draw inspiration from their elaborate displays at the shows. I love merchandising the store and creating eye-catching displays for the window. Again, I draw on my travels for the shows and my general love of shopping to help me develop new ideas in merchandising. I love to gift wrap! To me, presentation is everything. You can pick out the nicest gift and spend oodles of money on it but if it's presented unwrapped or thoughtlessly packaged, it sends a message to the recipient that you didn't care enough.

But I also love the service part of my job. I love helping people find the perfect gift. I like to make it easier for individuals having problems finding the right gift for other people. I've set up my store as a general gift shop, but it's overflowing with unique, hard-to-find gifts for any occasion. My clients don't have to shop for a gift, shop elsewhere for the card, shop again for the wrapping paper and stop at the post office to send it. In a world where there's just not enough time in the day to do everything, what people really crave is simplicity and convenience.

Our goal is to provide our clients, who have come to highly value their time, first of its kind shopping services, and do so personally, through one on one conversation for gift suggestions, with the highest integrity for product selection and customer service. When they come into our store or place an order with us over the phone, we are prepared to spend time helping them create the perfect gift. Tell us about special items you would like to include and we'll incorporate them into your personalized gift. We'll monogram items for that personal touch. And if a traditional gift isn't what they are looking for, we give them many options to create a custom basket. We are meticulous with details, and will deliver baskets to their door. We realize that day-to-day business and personal activities consume valuable time. That is why we make it our business to relieve the stress and hassle of shopping for and sending the perfect gift.

Mason & Madison G&DA: What was the most valuable piece of business advice that you ever received?
LW: It was the statement "you can't be all things to all people, know your niche and be the best at it". I have learned that these words are true in all facets of my life. For the store, I apply it to my competition. I can't worry about what they are doing and wondering if I should do what they are doing. I trust my gut, and after a few failures when I didn't, I realized I instinctively know what's best for my store. I also apply it to my interactions with sales reps. Even though it may be a best seller for other retailers, I know my customer and I know what works for my store and therefore, I buy what I like and tend to not follow trends or fads.

G&DA: What is/was your most successful promotion?
LW: Events. By far, having an event in the store brings in residual revenue long after the event is over. People are excited by our trunk shows with new, limited edition products. They love our events geared to their children. They love celebration and milestone events. They love community events. Sales and discounts don't do much to entice our customers. Most of our customers are looking for a particular product and will buy it at full price. Offering 10, 20, or 30% off, does not get them in to the store. They are too busy and it's not worth the hassle of the small discount. On a side note: what they do enjoy is our loyalty program. The surprise of a reward when they've reached a particular spending threshold really makes our customers happy.

G&DA: What three products/lines are you best sellers?
LW: Anything that offers customization or personalization, whether it be for the home or an individual. Home entertaining products are extremely popular. I find a lot of my clients are not going out as often and tend to entertain at home. They are looking for serving pieces, pretty home decor and (most especially) anything wine related.

G&DA: What are you doing to attract new customers? Mason & Madison
LW: Marketing, marketing, marketing! I cannot stress enough that when everyone pulls back in a bad economy, you have to plunge forward and keep your name out in front of your customers. Customers are looking for you and your business and if you retreat due to budget issues or weak results in a particular marketing effort, you are going to lose their attention and it will cost you twice as much to get them back!

G&DA: What was your most effective display?
LW: Merchandising the entire store on a regular basis is the most effective way to keep our customers interested and buying. I literally move fixtures, tables, lighting and shelving around every two months! It's amazing when, just by moving a product that didn't sell in one part of the store and re-merchandising it with other items or in a new location; breathes new life into the product. I laugh when a customer says "oh is this new... I love it!" Often, there is so much to look at in our store, that people inevitably miss something and by turning over the store regularly, you keep your repeat customers (the bulk of our business) engaged and excited about "new" merchandise.

G&DA: How do you find your best employees?
LW: Although I am not at a point to take on a staff, I have been fortunate to have the help of family and friends. I know that when I am ready to hire, I will reach out to my customers who love the store (many have already offered to have their children work here!) and I will reach out to our local community. They live in the town and know more about it than someone who lives 20 minutes away and I think it's important to have someone who is knowledgeable about the area. We are in the customer service business. I want an employee to be helpful in more ways than just knowing about the merchandise we carry in our store...I want them to understand our community and what it has to offer. I want them to recommend another, complimentary, local business to a customer. I want them to tell our customers about a great new restaurant or about events happening in our schools. We want them to remember us and offer them a reason to come back. I always stress the importance of buying local and I believe the same applies about hiring local.

G&DA: What was your biggest retail problem and how did you solve it?
LW: Our biggest challenge is keeping our customers educated. I believe you can't just open your doors and expect people to buy from you because you are open! You have to give them a reason! Why should they shop with you? Why should they pay your prices? Why should they come back? And if you are not educating them as to why, they will not understand why you are different and why they should come back and not shop your competition. We provide consumers the ability to never shop the same way again, to choose to spend their money with us, and actually enjoy our services. Whether it is a birthday gift, new baby gift, a gift to romance a client, congratulate a peer, or reward an employee, we provide spectacular solutions. Consumers today have many choices for how to spend their time and their money. I believe, by providing a service that took one aspect of their lives - shopping and gift buying - and making it easier, almost thoughtless, consumers would find Mason & Madison a great place to shop and an invaluable service worth keeping.

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