Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2018 | Page 39

Let’s
Get Your
BY PHIL WRZESINSKI
Talking!
Customers
L
ast June I spoke at the ASTRA Marketplace and Academy about
how to win disenfranchised Toys R Us customers. What I told
them will work for any industry looking to attract new custom-
ers, including the education market.
Toys R Us (TRU) had 100 mil-
lion customers last year. Most of the
pundits think those people will go to
Amazon, Walmart, and Target this
holiday season. I disagree. Those
three stores already took their bites
out of the TRU hide. Many of the
disenfranchised TRU customers
would love to shop at an independent
toy retailer.
I told the crowd at ASTRA the two
reasons they won’t, however, and why
many of those customers will choose
Amazon, Walmart and Target this holi-
day season is:
1. They don’t know you
2. They think they know you
THEY DON’T KNOW YOU
Even though we were the largest,
most iconic building in our downtown,
had been there over 60 years, spent
over $100,000 a year on advertising,
and were involved in several local activ-
ities in a small community, there were
still people who didn’t know we existed.
In a 2007 survey, just over 25% of
the people could not think of our store
when asked where to shop for toys in
Jackson, Michigan. You can’t reach
everyone, no matter how hard you try.
Therefore, just spending money on
more advertising won’t be the key.
THEY THINK THEY KNOW YOU
Traditional advertising isn’t going
to help with this second group anyway.
Of those that know you exist and don’t
shop at your store, the biggest reason is
that they have a preconceived notion.
They think you are:
• Over-priced
• Limited in selection
• Don’t carry the good stuff
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