CRA Today Winter Issue 2024 | Page 36

Blessings , A Christian Store in Prattville , AL , was a store within a store concept that had completely outgrown the available space . After praying , they were able to move to a new location with four times the amount of space . When it came time to design the layout of the store , owner Lori Bowdoin said she talked to a lot of customers and knew the areas they needed to expand in . As a result , they created a seating area where customers can sit and compare multiple items . Lori says this area is used a lot now .

People want to be seen and valued

Personalization
People want to be seen and valued . Creating personalized products and a personalized shopping experience are two ways to do this . Etsy is the global leader in personalized products . But for stores that can customize products , you can easily go above and beyond with a faster delivery time ( i . e ., same day ) and in-person customer service . Etsy can ’ t do that .
Speaking of in-person customer service , Ann Kardos of Logos Bookstore of Kent says , “ We try to give customers a personalized shopping experience in a variety of ways .”
The store itself is a Victorian house , so just walking through the doors gives people a different feel , Ann says . But then there is the personal touch with mini book reviews written by staff members and customers . They also have a display of recommended books for a local church ’ s reading program . “ It shows that we are interested and partnering with their church to help nurture their spiritual growth ,” Ann says . They also started partnering with a professional home bakery that makes all gluten-free products . She sets up a table for order pickups one day a week , which has brought in an extra 15-20 people each week . And since Ann is one of her customers , it ’ s been especially convenient .

Just walking through the doors gives people a different feel

Give one of these trends a try this year and see what happens . Like a good pair of jeans , these retail concepts may never go out of style . CRA
1
“ Embracing the Future : 5 Top Retail Interior Trends for 2024 ,” arc . com , accessed 11 Dec . 2023 , https :// www . e-arc . com / blog / embracing-the-future-5-top-retail-interior-trends-for-2024 /
36 CRA today / www . christianretailassociation . org