You as a retailer should not just blindly buy the same manufacturers as your competitors. There are some really great little known products that give your store great margins and your customers a great product.
Do your homework. Know all your competitors and the lines they carry. It’s a lot of work. But it’s work that must be done. Strive to have a store that looks different and feels different than your competitors. Most stores that you think are successful aren’t. Go back and read that again. So don’t copy them.
This entire book is about showing up differently than your competitors in your advertising, merchandising, display, sales training, and your service policy and procedures. Find an unmet need and fill that need for your customer.
When the Ellman family sold IBC years ago, they left a gaping hole in the industry that was never filled. Their customers called them imploring them to come back into the mattress industry. When their non-compete was up, the Ellman’s in 2010 came back into the mattress industry. They more than filled the gap that no other company could fill and the result in less than five years is Sherwood Bedding, and they are tracking for well over $100 million in sales.
There is a gap in your marketplace. Find that gap and fill it better than any other store can.