News flash: Amazon is big. Really, really big.
As of last summer, Amazon had an estimated 63 million Prime members, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. In the past several years, the company has grown that membership by about 19 million from 2015, while introducing more new services, including one- and two-hour delivery in some metro areas, a voice-activated “digital assistant” system and Dash buttons that make it even easier to order common products (e.g. laundry detergent) quickly.
If all that news isn’t giving you pause, it should be, said Jim Dion, a retail expert and head of the consulting firm Dionco Inc. Last September during SAF Maui 2016, the Society of American Florists’ annual convention, Dion called Amazon the “5-ton gorilla.”
Through its size and popularity, the company is elevating and transforming what consumers expect from all retailers, including small, local businesses. If you aren’t meeting those standards — e.g. making it easy for customers to order with their phones; making purchase suggestions based on their previous buys; giving people a reason to linger longer in your showroom — you’re pushing customers straight to the competition… And who can afford to do that?
“Customer service is the real reason sales drop,” Dion said. “We all need to look in the mirror. We often think we are really good, but we’re not.”
Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t. This month in Floral Management, we paired five of Dion’s top insights with some of our favorite florist stories from the past year.
