Wendy's Sucks

Wendy's advertises its fare as being better than fast food, but I find that is just for appearance's sake. It is no secret that I eat fast food only occasionally. A few months ago, a new Wendy's opened up across the road from the community where I live and we thought we'd give it a shot. Bad mistake.

Their spicy chicken sandwich was sandy and fried too long in a batter too thick and oil unfit for frying. The result was a clovis knife of a sandwich with so much salt that you were left gasping for a river. The fries were cold and had the weird taste of having sit too long in too much salt and oil. We had another sandwich which was equally bad.

We emailed our complaint with all the details to Wendy's. It's been six months and no reply. We are not eating at Wendy's again. I can understand an occasional misstep in fast food preparation, but the complete absence of consumer relationships is awful.

On the other hand, we were not completely satisfied with a pack of Emergen-C Heart Healthy sachets around the same time as the misadventure with Wendy's. We heard from Emergen-C within days and they mailed us a replacement pack with the flavor of our choice, for free. Now that's good customer service. You can bet that I would stay with Emergen-C.

Shame on you, Wendy's.

Creating the ultimate shopping experience

Taken from a speech I delivered a few months ago to the local Toastmasters club

SHOPPING: WHY DO WE DO IT?

CREATING THE ULTIMATE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Shopping. It is the most American of activities. Consumer spending amounts to two thirds of the GDP of the greatest economic power in the world. Humans have been shopping for the longest time, but shopping these days is driven increasingly less by basic needs, but more by the emotional needs it fulfills. I will focus solely on the retail sector, and to be precise, clothes retailing. I will discourse about the four modes of shopping (the whys) and suggest ways to make the shopping experience memorable, fulfilling and fun: just what makes shoppers return even when there are no sales (the what and how).

The first and obvious driver of shopping is need. We need our daily bread, milk, shampoo, toilet paper and underwear. It is a very brutal market in needs retailing. Wal-Mart is the clear winner here, but many prefer Target over Wal-Mart. Prices for staples are quite similar in both, but Target provides a cleaner, brighter and more orderly shopping experience than Wal-Mart.

The second driver is features. Small innovations in providing customers with that little bit extra works wonders to attract more customers. One way to deal with it is through carefully controlled special editions that give an air of exclusivity to what you wear. The second is consistently superior quality.

The third driver is affordability. With the retailing market akin to the tower of Babel, it takes a lot of time and determination to know how much every item in every store retails for at all times of the year. And despite obsessive aisle prowling, customers know little about inventory. Some stores deal with it by never having sales, and some, like Wal-Mart by having cheap prices every day. You have to be mad as a hatter or rich as Croesus to take a definitive stance on it.

The largest, though imperceptible driver of shopping growth is the emotional needs a product, a brand and a store fulfill. Luxury today might be a need tomorrow, but that’s not where the growth is. Study upon study has shown that customers are irrational when a product or brand stands for something they want to be associated with. Many women eat brown bag lunches for months just so they can afford a flowing robe from Anthropologie. Many men forego Saturday six-packs to afford an iPod or iMac. Even children forego some luxuries to get their toy or an icon of tween fashion. Because it makes them happy, like a cat that’s just eaten a canary. It’s not all about the product. What matters increasingly more these days is the “experience” of shopping in a store. Take Nordstrom for example. People love shopping there, and why? If there is something in stock, they will happily and cheerfully find it for you. Walking spaces are broader. The store is orderly, clean, relaxing and just luxurious. People spend time there, they feel valued and the experience is rewarding. The loop begins.

Now that we know the four drivers of shopping, how can retailers use this information to improve the shopping experience for customers, while not catering to a tiny niche and becoming a boutique? I offer four suggestions:

Lighting

Clear as daylight, the obvious aspect of lighting carries connotations. Most stores use fluorescent lights, but that light is not flattering to people’s appearance. If the lighting makes every imperfection in your face or body dominate the aesthetic value of an outfit, it is self-defeating. Studio lights are the way to go, as you see in Abercrombie & Fitch, offering a warm refuge from the hoi polloi outside.

Music

Music to my ears! Retailers have not figured out that loud, commercialized punk rock and punk rap deter customers rather than engage them, for sure among customers that wield the wallets. More people leave a store because of music than stay longer. The retailer is free to choose the message they send with the kind of music they play, but it must be in the background, and not make you feel you’re at a rave. Abercrombie & Fitch does this poorly. The music is too loud and gives the impression that they don’t want the customer to hang out, to touch and feel the merchandise.

Direct the traffic

You want to offer the customer a natural way of wending his way through the store, where every kitty corner corresponds to a concept, an expression, a story vignette. Janie and Jack does this very well, as does Pottery Barn Kids. With a carefully designed store, the sight lines take in all the store has to offer – and every section is coherent and somewhat private.

Keep it personal every day

There is no substitute for great, unobtrusive service. Have you ever wondered why they ask you for your name at Coffee bean and other aspirational places? So they can address you by the first name when your latte is ready. They are not going to remember you name if you return in 3 hours. This is hypocrisy, and makes me as red as a tomato. You want retail staff to be like a seasoned server in a five-star restaurant. Out of your sight and shopping experience, unless you need him or her – at which point you realize he/she is knowledgeable, prompt and friendly.

In summary, shopping is all about the experience. Retailers have to create an experience that is warm, personal, regularly surprising, relaxing and rewarding. Stores like J. Jill get it right with their suffused lighting, earth tones and secluded spaces. Happy shopping and happy retailing!