It’s 2021, and my mate speaks for weeks about a pair of shoes he really really wants/needs. Full disclosure up front: My friend runs more kilometers per week than I put on my car and more than most people run per year (more on that later) so, he is a serious runner.
Serious runners need serious shoes. He told me he found the pair he wanted, online but he really wanted to try them on first - the old try before you buy.
The shoes he wants are Nikes, so, excited one early morning he heads to the Nike store at the Waterfront. Upon entering he’s greeted by a masked figure holding out a spray bottle of sanitizer (the norm at this point). After the formalities were over, knowing exactly what he was looking for, he asked the figure (let’s call her Amy) if they had the shoes in stock, and in his size. He, excited as can be was met with a “we don’t have your size”. At that point, he enquires whether or not any of the other branches might have his size. His question this time met with an “I’m not sure, but Canal Walk might have because they are a bigger store”.
Right now Amy’s got a choice to make, she can 1) Make zero effort to push a sale through her books, or 2) Make this happen.
Side note: I feel it take more to provide a shitty experience vs, doing just a few things right to make for a good one.
He prompts her to call Canal Walk to enquire, Amy obliges and he’s told that they do have his size but not having a car makes this a mission impossible. Remember the instant gratification scale is tipping slowly in the opposite direction, and that’s basically the one true thing fuelling everything we do these days.
Another Side note: I am well aware that the store not having stock of this shoe in his size is not directly Amy’s fault, but if you think hard and long, somewhere, somehow she and every other staff member working in or behind the scenes of that store - they’ve got a part to play.
They’re just about to lose a sale when he enquires about whether there was another shoe that could compare or match up to the one he came in for. This of course a tricky question for most (or at least we’ve gotten used to this outcome), but surely in a Nike store, staff would be trained on, well Nike products?!
No inquiry into why he was going for a trail shoe in the first place when in reality (and only he knows this) he does 90% of his running on the road. She had no knowledge of a pair of shoes that could create a similar or better experience, even if they were more expensive.
Defeated, he leaves.
We can’t continue the narrative that all businesses are suffering right now, it’s 2021 - you’re going to have to do one better than what everyone else is doing. As individuals, you’re going to have to learn more about what you’re doing, selling, promoting so that in store, outside or wherever you are, you are domain expert so when people “step into your office” - they know and you know “You got this!”
That - knowing enough (or everything) about what you’re doing, selling, promoting is the first step in creating/crafting a memorable experience.
My friend turned to Superbalist to buy his shoes.
Benefits:
It was cheaper!!!
They had his size and preferred colorway
He was able to pay it off (why not) using PayFlex (that review coming soon…)
Zero barrier to entry bringing the sunshine, on a Tuesday that started off slightly gloomier.
Drawbacks:
No instant gratification (he still has to wait a day for the shoes)
For just anybody (a new or casual runner) this might have been ok. But for an enthusiast (think, enthusiast of anything) someone that wakes up knowing the only way - is out, outside, come rain or shine, this won’t do!
It’s 2021
Years before one might have gotten away with “he is a minority”. In this context and without knowing the real numbers, take me with a brick of salt here, but I don’t think this is the case any longer.
It’s 2021, mate - why shouldn’t he have his cake and eat it too?
Why was the experience inside the Nike store, worse than the wonderful buy now, pay later experience he had online with Superbalist? Yes, they’ve got a dope team, dedicated to creating experiences that are more than memorable that they want you to speak about, and I am. Why did the brand, that bascially paved the way for other companies (related and not) through amazing products and product experiences - why did they fail in comparison this time?
Bad business (will leave this here)…
