As we head into the new year, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the many changes in our industry in 2016. What a year it has been!
On one hand, we’ve been dealing with dimensional weight issues with carriers for several years, but this year’s news has been especially unsettling; on the other hand, we’ve had to deal with Amazon’s constant “threats” to our industry, namely parcel lockers being launched in every major city (claiming to make shipping, deliveries and returns seamless), two dimensional codes that cannot be scanned in our stores when people come to return packages (causing even more angst and frustration galore), and package deliveries through the use of drones that promise you your products within 30 minutes of hitting the “Send Order” button magically on your doorstep.
We’ve all felt the frustration and helplessness this year, sort of like Dorothy in the Emerald City, wanting to go home and to a better place (which in our case, might be 10 years back in time when profits seemed to be at peak in our industry).
Not to worry, my friends, because here’s my outlook for 2017, one which promises light at the end of the tunnel and bigger profits, if we are willing to modify certain things and let go of others.
In 2005, Michael Hyatt blogged about the “death of traditional book publishing.” He had reason to be scared; he was the CEO of a major publishing house. In 2007, Amazon launched the Kindle and everyone thought that books would end. By 2011, however, people became skeptical that digital books would surpass physical ones. Fast forward to today, and the electronic readers capture only less than 25% of market share. Books are still winning, libraries are thriving and “analog” as it were, is making a strong comeback, along with paper and independent bookstores. But why?
According to David Sax, in his book Revenge of the Analog, it’s because people crave authentic transactions with other real human beings, plain & simple. We are not ready to move into a completely digital world, devoid of feelings & emotions, all things that make us human. Sax also talks about retail shops (like those in our industry) rebounding with fervor based on experiences provided in store that cannot be found online.
This book is so powerful, Michael Hyatt has put it on his top 5 list for the Best Business Books of 2016! About it, he writes:
Sax makes explicit something many of us feel implicitly. Real, tangible things matter. And that insight has tremendous implications for business today—not only in how we purchase and consume, but also in how we invest and grow.
I’ve put it on my list for my first few read of 2017 and encourage you all to do the same.
Then, rethink your store, your model and ask yourself this question:
What is the “why” of your store? What makes it unique? Why do people choose to come to you and not go anywhere else in the neighborhood? Once you find out the answer to this question, design your in store & online marketing efforts around THIS ONE CONCEPT and make that as a written resolution for 2017.
My wife Seema & I started with this idea in 2015, redesigned our store this year and plan to grow our model in 2017, all based on the answer to the “why” question (Thanks to Simon Sinek).
I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Fahim Mojawalla, AMBC Director of Social Media
Co-owner of Island Ship Center
AMBC Certified Store
#SpaOfShipping #FahimFix #ExudeExcellence
10 Minutes from Niagara Falls, USA
1879 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, NY 14072
Phone: 716-773-6300 Website: www.IslandShipCenter.com
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Source: AMBC Blog