Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/286953
20 S howrooming is the term used to describe the curious consumer behavior many retailers have noticed. Showrooming describes the behavior where consumers want to look up possible purchases and read reviews, see possible pricing, and see where they can buy while standing in your store. However, it is still very difficult to do. As long as showrooming is difficult for consumers, you do not have to worry. But one day soon, consumers will be able to showroom with ease, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it.There are three ways to deal with the future. Way 1 — Ignore it. Way 2 — Wait for it to happen, then complain about it and blame others for it. Way 3 — Embrace it. Deal with it now. Take steps to anticipate it, and make your best guess about how to take advantage of it. Predicting the future is a tricky affair. Even if one predicts it accurately, knowing what to do is even more tenuous. Because predictions are oftentimes wrong, we take a page from corporate finance and issue a Safe Harbor Statement. • Whatever we say may be wrong. • Do not trust anything we say because we will be long gone by the time the future occurs. • No one understands your business better than you do, but we know what is happening in the retail world. In looking at the future retail landscape, it is crystal clear that the consumer will have complete access to products and services, prices and information, anytime, anywhere and anyhow THEY want it. One of the truths of today is that change is occurring faster than even the wisest of women/men have predicted. Other than the Jetson's devotees, who could have predicted that we would have driverless cars? Even as recent as 10 years ago, most people would have said that there is no way we will have driverless cars (even George didn't trust them…he continued to drive his own car)? Yet, driverless cars are here, and they work. Whatever it is that you do not believe possible today will be…and faster than you think. Who would have thought that computers could handle 80 percent of all customer service calls, and they can (indeed consumers are quite surprised when they learn that they have received information Showrooming: Things in the mirror appear larger than they are FEATURE STORY By Drs. Richard Feinberg, Meghan Norris and Chris Kowal at Purdue University OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT w w w. o u t d o o r p o w e re q u i p m e n t . c o m Image ©istockphoto.com/gilaxia.