Mary Queen of Shops: Part 2

On Monday I posted about my discovery of a new store makeover series on BBC America called Mary Queen of Shops. Last night I caught my first episode of the program and, as promised, here is my take on the show.

In the promo commercials leading up to 9/8c, Gordon Ramsay (think Kitchen Nightmares) was told to "meet his match." Having seen some pretty fantastic screaming matches between Mr. Ramsay and unlucky restaurant owners, I pictured Ms. Portas to be a brash know-it-all. The start of the show set the stage for such dramatics with her "What I don't know about stores isn't worth knowing" voiceover, but sadly no head-to-head shouting matches ensued. There were a few "tough-love" moments, but they weren't as explosive as those that Kitchen Nightmares fans are used to. Perhaps she's more sharp-tongued in other episodes, but not so much in this one.

On this episode, the Queen of Shops came to the rescue of a small clothing and accessory boutique called One One Seven. The store's owner was a kind-spirited woman who was a bit clueless as to what her target customers (the 40-year-old-or-older woman) wanted. Throughout the show, the two women speak with customers, meet with designers, and visit competitors to gain insight into why One One Seven wasn't working and what could be done to improve it. The store was given a facelift and the merchandise was updated and more attractively displayed, and voila! The cash registers started ringing!

The advice Ms. Portas shared on the show would come as nothing new to a seasoned retailer. The point she stressed the most was that you need to know your target customer inside and out. That goes beyond demographics right down to her lifestyle and what she likes and doesn't like. She also encouraged visits to competitors' locations to see what others in the industry are doing and to possibly pick up ideas for your own stores.

The most exciting part of the show for me what the actual transformation of the shop's design and layout. Here Ms. Portas suggested creating an accent wall in the back of the store to bring customers into the space. (At One One Seven, this was done with wallpaper, but you could use a clever wall display, an interesting piece of art, an unexpected splash of color, etc.) She also noted that customers like to be guided in their shopping. By displaying complementary items together, you help the customer put it together and encourage additional sales.

All in all, my first taste of Mary Queen of Shops wasn't bad. As I mentioned before, an experienced retailer may not get much from it, but someone new to the industry might find a few take-aways in each hour-long episode.