What are the Challenges facing the Retail Sector? This is the presentation given by Richard Keeves for the Central Eastern Business Association at a special event held at the City of Bayswater Civic Centre on 26 June 2013. Evan Briers, Director of Investment Property at Hawaiian Group was also a guest speaker on this topic.

1. Presented by Richard Keeves
Director of Smarter Web Strategies.com and
Program Director, Smarter Digital RoadMaps for Retailers Pilot Program
www.SmarterWebStrategies.com
Twitter: @RichardKeeves
Phone: +61 8 9467 1884
What are the Challenges
facing the Retail Sector?

2. • Published August 2012.
• Available in paperback and digital format.
• Available online and in good bookstores around Australia and New
Zealand including Boffins Bookshop, Hay St, Perth
Catching Digital
How to see your future in the digital blur,
Create smarter strategies for your business, and
Plan your Digital RoadMap for success
A Handbook for business
planning in the Digital world.

3. It’s not just about Digital Age waves

4. It’s about what is driving the Digital Tsunami

5. Website: Digital RoadMaps.org
• Funded by the WA State Government’s WA Business Online initiative
• Partnership between Chamber of Commerce & Industry of WA & Smarter
Web Strategies.com
A Pilot Program for Retailers

6. The world
is
ON SALE

7. Sad
Retailers 
Happy
Customers 

8. What do customers really want?

9. When do customers want to shop?
ANY
TIME
24.7.365

10. ANY HOW
ANY PLACE
ANY WHERE
How do customers want to shop?

11. What are the Challenges
facing the Retail Sector?

12. “We Don’t Know
What We Don’t Know”
Many lack Street-Smart
Wisdom in Online World

13. “We don’t Know who to Trust”

14. “My business is very fragmented
with different technology”

15. “Struggle keeping up”

16. “Just not enough time…”

17. “We don’t know
what we need”

18. “We’re SICK of Snake Oil Salesmen”
There are NO
Magic Wands

19. “We don’t have money to waste.
We need good ROI.”
???

20. “What makes us different?”

21. “We can’t
compete
on Price”

22.  Value
 Trust
 Service
 Availability
 Convenience
 Experience
 Support
 Product Differentiation
Competing on Price
Price is important. But it’s only part of the mix.

23. Help for
Retailers?

24. • Survey of Retailers
• Coaching Program
• Webinars
• Developing Resources
• Database of Service Providers
• Website for the Resources
• LinkedIn Group
Background to the Pilot Program

25. Webinars
1. Introduction to Digital RoadMaps (Presented by Richard Keeves)
2. What makes you Unique? (Presented by Richard Keeves)
3. Building Trust (Presented by Richard Keeves)
4. Defining and Finding Your Ideal Customers (Presented by Richard Keeves)
5. Strategies for Growth (Presented by Richard Keeves)
6. New Trends in Retailing (Presented by Piers from Vivid)
7. Everything you know about Brand is Wrong! (Presented by Michel Hogan)
8. Stop Delighting Your Customers (Presented by Michel Hogan)
9. Google Places & Google Business Photos (Presented by Marianne Annereau)
10. Smarter SEO & SEM (Presented by Andy Dalton)
11. Conversion Rate Optimization (presented by Mark Garner)
12. Improving Website Checkout Processes & Reducing Shopping Cart Abandonment (Christian Holst and Jamie
Appleseed, Baymard Institute, Copenhagen)
13. Taking Payments Online (Presented by Richard Keeves)
14. Getting Smarter with CRM (Presented by Nick Bennett)
15. Getting Smarter with SMS (Presented by Paul Mulvenna)

26. Resources
• Planning the Digital RoadMap
• Assessing Your Business
• Growth Strategies
• Smarter SEO & SEM
• Planning Your Website
• Using Social Media
• Conversion Rate Optimization
• Online Payment Processing
• Selecting Shopping Carts
• Defining Ideal Customers
• Brand Building
• Behavioural Targeting and Re-Marketing
• Learning how to use Google Analytics
Provided to Coaching group members, in
Webinars, and/or on the program website

27. Visit the website at
www.DigitalRoadMaps.org

28. So, what’s a
Digital RoadMap?

29. #1
#4
#3
#2

31. 1. Purpose
2. Greatness
3. Uniqueness
4. Ideal Customers
5. Benefits
6. Essentials
The Business… and its
We start by defining

32. e.g. Becoming The Chosen One
With Smarter Strategies for the Digital World
And we focus on Strategies
that make sense
Why, What, How…

33. • Set Goals, Objectives and initial Action Plans.
• Usually combination of Small Tweaks today AND
Bigger Changes moving forward
Today  3 Years’ Time  12 Months
THEN Chunk down, Plan next 4 Quarters.
We do Possibility Thinking for the Future, choose the priority
areas to focus on and prepare the initial Digital RoadMap
Implement, Monitor & Improve
Update Quarterly & roll forward.

34. Technology
My “Choosing Technology” Mantra
–Increased Flexibility
–Reduced Risks
–Better Options for the Future

35. Some Observations about the Pilot Program…

36. • Most retailers have been ‘ripped off’ in the past by web dev firms.
• Many retailers probably did not know what they were buying.
Who was responsible?

37. Web Development Companies
• do not understand retail.
• are limited to their own areas of technological expertise.
• often don't admit their limitations & may over-state their
expertise.
• may be biased or worse. Wrong or even Deceptive.
• are not well-liked or well-trusted by retailers.
• don't want to be judged on the retailer’s results
• just create the website. The retailer needs to manage it.
Most web firms

38. Conversion Rate Optimization

39. Small Tweaks can mean Big Results
• Increasing Conversion Rates from 2% to 3% of
website visitors can give 50% increase in sales.
• Increasing from 2% to 4% DOUBLES YOUR SALES.

40. STOP LEAKS

41. = V i t a l
1. Getting Found Easily with SEO
2. Cost-Effective Accountable Advertising with Google AdWords
3. Understanding Website Activity with Google Analytics
4. Building Trust with Google Places, Business Photos & Reviews
5. Enticing Qualified Visitors with SERP Text and Rich Snippets
6. Running a good website using Google Webmaster Tools
7. Understanding Usability with Google In-Page Analytics

42. Mobile Business is booming
• Massive Threats
• Massive Opportunities
• Misunderstood
• Under-used
Mobile 1st Strategies?

43. 1. It’s time. “Prepare for the Digital
Journey or prepare to retire.”
2. Most retailers work ‘in’, not ‘on’.
There is lots to learn, lots to do and
so little time.
3. All plans change, BUT having a plan is
better than not having a plan.

44. 1. Every business is Unique. Most don’t know it.
2. Everything is about the Customer. Always.
3. All customers are NOT the same.
4. Changes do not have to be BIG. Start with SMALL tweaks.
5. Customers don’t like Pain. Remove it.
6. Focus on improving convenience for customers.

46. find out who else is in the water
As you catch the waves…

48. Presented by Richard Keeves
www.SmarterWebStrategies.com
Twitter: @RichardKeeves
Phone: +61 8 9467 1884