An independent retailer's viral plea for business

An independent retailer's viral plea for business
Tags: Customer Service, Marketing
November 16, 2010

Here in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, one of the most iconic fixtures of the local retail scene for the past 25 years has been the music store Ear X-Tacy. Around here, and elsewhere in the music-loving community, that name carries a lot of weight. It has always been the destination for discriminating music lovers, the kind of place where people hang out for hours, backs arched over row after row of records and CDs, posters and shirts.

Earlier this year, the store had to move to a smaller location or risk going under. There was an uproar in Louisville, a flurry of Facebook and Twitter posts to "Save Ear X-Tacy!" There was much goodwill. The company survived.

But yesterday, owner John Timmons posted this to YouTube:

I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, the honesty and transparency is refreshing (and frankly, typical of John, who himself is a Louisville fixture). And he wisely points out that shopping at his store has always been an experiential thing. Sure, you can now download the entire Beatles library from home, but you can't casually flip through stacks of full-sized Beatles LPs, or make new friends while idly browsing. The store is a destination, and a truly great shopping experience if music is important to you.

But on the other hand, there's the possibility of backlash here. The first "Save Ear X-Tacy" groundswell came about organically, to a great extent. This one is being prompted, and I've already seen one commenter dismiss it as "begging." I've seen this approach fail spectacularly recently, with a particular independent musician who took to Facebook one too many times with a "sky is falling, I can't afford to make music anymore" message. His fans quickly grew weary of hearing it, and an enormous amount of ill will was the result.

And on a practical note, I worry about John's request to "share this with 10 people, and ask them to do the same." Think about what that will mean for the average Facebook user within the orbit of a fan of the store: They're going to see the same video come up over and over again, and they will get sick of it. And they will always associate that negative reaction with this particular retailer.

So, what do you make of this? Is it a smart approach? What is an independent retailer to do when having a great shopping experience doesn't appear to be enough?

Reader Comments

Bob Phibbs

about 18 months ago

Hey James, I'm on the opposite side of this, sorry. The business model is broken for music stores. Free concerts, etc sounds great but someone, somewhere has to pay for them. Frequently it is at the owners' expense. This isn't simply a matter of "buy local" but trying to guilt people into purchasing formats most simply aren't interested in. I would suggest he needs to really look at how he can creatively change his business or close it. Crying wolf-like saying "buy local" only goes so far. In the end its called capitalism:the market rewards you with profit for exceeding your community's needs. If the community doesn't then there is not sufficient interest in supporting your business as it stands and you are more of a "hobby." Harsh I know but I think he needs to do more to show he is changing and be more proactive to keeping the doors open.
Dan Scofield

about 18 months ago

I love to visit the local store but their website is from the late 90's at best. He's missed out on a huge opportunity to take that bricks and mortar tribe and move it online. Today's audio consumers demand immediate satisfaction. If I visit their website and can't download the latest or a classic piece of music then I'll go somewhere else. He's left himself wide open to letting his competition steal business.
Murray Clark

about 18 months ago

The message is unclear. What does he expect the clients to do? Run to the store and hand over money? Buy something? If he offers a great experience, sell it, create interest in the experience. How does the store brand differeniate him from the competition? Why are customers better off shopping with him. Honestly is very important but it also has to create a positive energy within your internal and external brand position.
Norm Williams

about 18 months ago

He's selling guilt. That doesn't play well and frankly, there are more noble causes. It's not like he's saving lives. What he needs to do is to rethink his marketing approach- who is he targeting? Are there better/other ways of reaching more of his target? Is his target too narrowly defined? What does his ideal customer value? What are the different ways he can he deliver it? Are his customers buying less per visit or are they visiting less? (This will help him focus his efforts - give customers a reason to come back sooner or get them to buy more when they are in the store) Has he even talked to customers to find out what the issue is?

-Norm Williams
Marge Laney

about 18 months ago

Man, is this guy depressing. Definitely not your typical passionate entreprenuer. Desperation doesn't look good on most people and definitely not on a business owner. I agree with Bob, the model is broken for music stores and this guys model of getting people to buy because they feel sorry for him is pathetic and a losing proposition. The recession has been a tough time for everyone and has required most people to limit their spending and realign their priorities. Retailers need to amp up the value proposition and make people feel great about spending their hard earned money with them. Parties are a great way to get people in the mood to buy, but pity parties like this one are good for nothing.