Trends Affecting Small Independent Retailers

I was checking out a new weblog today the Small Business Trends blog and found a great post that could be of interest to you.

Trends Affecting Small Business Retailers

From the post:

"This white paper originated from an observation and a supposition by Jim Baum, a highly active and successful Morris, Illinois small, independent retailer. His observation was that macro and micro trends affect the small independent entrepreneur differently than their large competitors. His supposition is if small independents could just step back, take a deep breath and think about what's really happening, what's changing and what's just over the horizon, they might act differently. They might change how they do things. They might experiment more to take advantage of new emerging opportunities. They might see solutions more clearly. They might find new ways to connect more closely to their marketplace."

One of the topics from the White Paper:

Changing Consumer Attitudes and Behavior - "The traditional customer definitions and delineations have been blurred by the sheer volume of marketing activity across the entire socioeconomic spectrum. * * * Consumers want a transparent buying process devoid of hassles. A retail experience that fulfills these dual emotional needs will be highly valued."

How hassle free is your shopping experience?  Compared to the Big Box retailer across the street, is your customer less threatened by your sales people?  Is your store organized and arranged so they can find what they need fast?

The Small Business Trends blog has a link that allows you to download the entire PDF.