Nestled in Paris Street Exeter opposite such retail icons as Next and John Lewis, is a swathe of charity shops including Sprout, Children’s Hospice South West, Save the Children, Age UK, Shop 4ECTA and the RSPCA. What might appear as madness to have so many charity shops together is proving a shoppers’ delight as bargains can be had in an ever improving shopping environment. Charity shops have woken up to the fact that the old jumble sale, mothball ridden offering is no longer where it’s at.
How important is it to you to have a really good experience when you go out shopping, to a restaurant or at any time when you buy products or services? If you’re anything like us, the answer is – Very Important!
The whole experience means the difference between using a company once or returning several times for a repeat experience. How important is a friendly face, helpful advice or a pleasant telephone manner? And how objective are you about your own business’s image? Do you know what customers think of the experience your company offers? If you don’t you need to find out quick!...
South Devon based experts in tourism, hospitality and marketing have signed up to offer a FREE speed mentoring service in English Tourism Week in 2013.
The Speed Mentoring event forms part of the English Riviera Tourism and Business Conference at Torquay’s Riviera International Conference Centre on 21st March 2013 being organised by the English Riviera Tourism Company.
The mentoring team will be giving bite size chunks of information about hot topics, delivered on a one to one basis, to tourism businesses who just want to pick up new tips or ask a few critical questions....
Next time you take your shoes in for repair or have a key to cut or a watch needing repair, you may well come across the name Timpson. Established in Exeter since 1903 there are now 315 Timpson shops throughout the United Kingdom. So how has this company survived for so long and what have been the highs and lows along the way?
Customer and Employee Care are at the heart of Timpson’s success and foresight and the ability to read the market has truly saved their bacon. We have a saying here at The Plum Consultancy: “Hindsight is a wonderful thing, foresight is even better!” –...
Does the use of Video make a difference to Business Results? The answer is YES! Based on a great deal of research over the past two years, there is no question that the age of video marketing has begun. Video is expected to grow by 55% this year as the Top Format for Content Marketing. Add to that the fact that Videos have 41% higher click through rate than text and that videos are shared 1,200% more than links and text combined and you start to get the picture!
At The Plum Consultancy we have first hand evidence of how our virtual video product PropVid is helping clients out...
“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living” Nelson Mandela
The same is very true about business – find the passion and you will find a great business. Without passion you may as well shut up shop and go home! If your passion has waned for your business, re-ignite it fast! Or be prepared for more passionate competitors to keep chipping away at your market share.
Do a little bit of research – use www.surveymonkey.com at the basic entry level which is free and find out from your customers whether...
Have you taken a good look at your local high street lately?
The Plum Consultancy is based in Exeter, Devon and some interesting and ground-breaking experiential retailing has arrived in this fine city. The type of retailing which sets companies apart and gets people through their doors and queuing out into the street.
Why? Because new concepts in retailing have been designed to affect all the senses in an exciting and enticing way. What these stores offer the consumer is a ‘full-on’ experience of their commercial offering. They wrap you in their branding with exciting use...
With programme viewers having many more options now to avoid ad breaks on TV, eg recording programmes then skipping through the adverts as well as dashing out to make a cup of tea, one emerging piece of technology recently reported by Michael Millar, BBC News is that TV and film editors are considering post production digital product placement.
Of course product placement isn’t new as any Bond movie goer will have witnessed when Heineken stole a march over vodka martini in Skyfall, but what is new is that editors can drop in whatever they like, as and when they like, in the post...
