Feed the Need Can serving up food and drink improve your sales?
By Gwen Moran Edited by Frances Dodds
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
At the end of a popular bike trail in Purcellville, Virginia,Linda Singer's Final Draft Booksellers lures bicyclists with drinks,nutrition bars and delicious fudge-and of course, her widearray of tomes.
"The food component of the business complementsbookselling," Singer, 40, says. "People come in forsomething to drink and say, 'Oh, books!' Or [they] come infor a book and pick up a cup of coffee. One drives sales of theother."
Call it "shopper-tainment": the trend of adding morebenefits to the shopping experience, including food and drink. SaysEdgar A. Falk, authorof 1001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement(Penguin), "Food centers can build revenue and goodwill,encouraging people to spend more time and money in yourstore."
Don't have a culinary bent? Take a cue from MillenniumMusic, which leased part of its Charleston, South Carolina,store to a branch of Kaminsky's Café. The cafe has a fullbar and menu as well as a stage where live performances go onvirtually every night, attracting a big happy hour crowd. Saysoperating partner Kent Wagner, 39: "The synergy with the storehas helped business and our goal to [be] a full entertainmentdestination."
Even though accidents can happen when food and merchandise mix,Falk thinks food is still a good idea for retailers seeking anedge. "Something [could be] damaged because a customer spilledon it, but that's usually a small price to pay," he says."If your merchandise is expensive, have one section for eatingand another for shopping."
