Go to where the people are

Retailing hasn't always been as simple as setting up a store, either physical or virtual, stocking up with merchandise that people wanted at a price they were willing to pay, and then marketing to let customers know you were open for business. Centuries ago, merchants had to go where the people were. They'd stock carts with goods that weren't readily available and then go from town to town selling them, pricing them at whatever price they thought the customer was willing or could afford to pay. They'd go to town squares, churches, synagogues, barn raisings - wherever people gathered - so they could sell what they had brought into town. They'd get to know their customers, building relationships over the years. They'd be welcomed as an honorary member of the village (unless someone felt cheated, in which case they'd be run out of town). It was social, relationship based commerce, and it continued with Avon, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, and other door to door and house party retailers.

In the modern age, the rise of mass merchandisers changed mobile commerce to destination commerce. People started going to retailers, searching out what they want to buy rather than waiting for it to show up at their door. Retailers knew that if they marketed, they would come (or they could send them a catalog so they could shop at home), and having a relationship with your customer was secondary to having a range of products at appropriate prices. The Internet started the same way. Sites were built, banner ads were purchased, people came and shopped. Like catalogs, they used e-mail and affiliate programs to reach customers in their virtual homes or at sites they were surfing, always bringing them back to their site store.

Now that the the Social Web has transcended teens to include baby boomers, it is time to consider going back to bringing the store to where the people are and building community based relationships. Stores need to be within social networking sites, offering products relevant to customers while they interacting with them in their virtual villages. You need to be welcomed in, allowing people to discuss what you are offering, both positive and negative, and even allowing people to haggle if they want. But by engaging with them in their "town square", you have an opportunity to bring back the connection the shop cart owner had with his customers. It is the era of "social commerce". How will your business adapt?