The Penfrined shop in Burlington Arcade in London was a delight to visit. It is a pen lovers haven with products and customs service to match. What fascinated me we hearing how many people purchase pens to add to their collection – rarely to use, mainly to sit in a display cabinet with other pens they have collected.
The Panfriend visit today reminded me people purchase items foe reasons beyond what we retailers expect. The more we know about why people buy what they buy the better we can target out marketing.
Take this pen shop. It can promote itself as a pen shop to people who love and use pens. It can also promote itself as a business selling collectibles and thereby attract those who understand and appreciate collecting including those who collect solely for investment.
Special retail is about diversifying to leverage the maximum shopper traffic for the product category in which you specialise.It is about attracting people to the product category for as many reasons possible.
The other surprise fro Penfriend today was the discover that they offer nib grinding. I had never heard of it. Reading up on it now, the service makes sense for this specialty business.
What a delight to read this post Mark, remember Penfriend from my years with WH Smith.
….and just round the corner from Saville Row. Adding to your suit collection ?
Oh no Colin, Saville Row is not me.