Today's guest post is from Nancy Tanker, writer for Specialty Retail Report.

I just started reading Pam Danziger’s book, Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience. For those of you who don’t know Pam, she’s president of Unity Marketing, one of the leading consumer research firms in the US specializing in shopper surveys and focus groups. Her book gives some fantastic examples of specific techniques retailers can use to create an exciting shopping experience for their customers.

She includes in-depth profiles of a variety of retailers—from the big chains like Nordstrom and Godiva to boutiques such as Nell Hill’s and Prairie Edge, laying out exactly what they’re doing to attract more customers—from personal shopping services and event marketing to store layout and product selection. The book is a great resource for ideas you can adapt to fit your store.

She sums up the major point by saying: “For years retailers' success has largely been a function of offering the right products at the right price in the right location, but those factors are less important today as shopping becomes one of our favorite forms of recreation. Today success in retail is less about what you sell, and more about how you sell it.”

What techniques are you using to create a unique experience for your customers? What do you do to make your gift shop fun, engaging and delightful to shop in? Do your customers get emotional payoffs from visiting your store?

—Nancy Tanker
Specialty Retail Report

Patricia is out sick, possibly all week, so she called in a friend to guest blog. Today's post is from Poornima Apte, Editor of GIFT SHOP magazine.

I tuned in to NPR recently to listen to a fascinating discussion about life in the workplace with Gen Y—20 somethings—the babies of the baby boomers.

The article (it ran in Fortune magazine) that inspired the program states,

"They're ambitious, they're demanding and they question everything, so if there isn't a good reason for that long commute or late night, don't expect them to do it. When it comes to loyalty, the companies they work for are last on their list – behind their families, their friends, their communities, their co-workers and, of course, themselves.

But there are a whole lot of them. And as the baby-boomers begin to retire, triggering a ballyhooed worker shortage, businesses are realizing that they may have no choice but to accommodate these curious Gen Y creatures."

Are you a boomer yourself? Or even a Gen Xer? Do you know what it takes to keep your talented Gen Y employees loyal? What happens when the rules of the workplace get rewritten with every generation?

As a retailer, you know the key to thrive in the business is to change with the changing demands of your staff. What are you doing in your store to keep your multi-tasking, furiously ambitious Gen Yer engaged and happy?

—Poornima Apte
GIFT SHOP Magazine

I'm sure you're familiar with the cute store, Build-a-Bear Workshop. We (Specialty Retail Report) wrote an article on the store founder Maxine Clark in 1997 when she only had one store… today, she has 190 stores nationwide with more than $300 million in sales. Her success illustrates that company growth is possible despite competition with big box stores and a tough economy.

Maxine has partnered with Chip Foose, a noted car designer, to launch a new retail concept opening today. The store Ridemakerz will allow customers to create a 1:18 scale toy car for $12-$28 (price depends on customization). There is more than 640,000 possible customization options available. 

This concept is the perfect combination of shopping and entertainment (referred to as shoppertainment in the shopping center industry). I love that kids can use their imagination to come up with a car that fits their personality and the process is just as much fun as the end result. I can't wait to take my daughter to a store to try it out.

How can you apply this concept in your store (interaction, personalization or customization)?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Sell more products that can be personalized.
   Lots of vendors are offering lines that you can personalize in the store, or that they will personalize for you and ship directly to the customer (or to your store). Expand on these lines as much as possible.

2. Offer classes.
   The more you interact with your customers, the more you can sell. A few ideas: 10 tips for decorating like a designer for the holiday season, or how to trim the perfect holiday tree, or creating the perfect wreath. Of course, you'll be selling some of the products you're talking about, and if you don't feel comfortable teaching the class, invite a local interior designer to help you out. You can pay them by working out a trade (merchandise and/or store credit in exchange for teaching).

3. Host an in-store event.
   Invite customers to a tree lighting and give everyone who attends a free ornament, or invite a local artist you have featured in your store to do an in store demonstration, or throw a girls' night out party.

4. Provide more information on the products you sell.
   If you sell products that are handcrafted, imported from an exotic location or made from something recycled, make sure you're communicating this to your customers. Don't just rely on word of mouth: frame signage explaining why the merchandise is so unique. Make sure you have additional print-outs on hand (on card stock paper) and give one to everyone who purchases one of the pieces. It will help you sell more products, and add a special touch when it's given as a gift.

5. Provide stellar customer service.
   I'm talking about customer service again, but you know, the more service you provide, the more customers will enjoy the experience and return for repeat purchases!