The Land of Nod’s “secret sauce” for multichannel success

By JESSICA ELENSTAR, WEB CONTENT MANAGER | Published: SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

Be the first to comment | This entry was posted in Events, Merchandising, Retail Companies

The Land of Nod’s concept was complex from the start, launching a niche catalog business focused on parents who wanted to retain a unique sense of style after having kids. But the secret to Nod’s retail success is surprisingly simple.

Michelle Kohonzo shares The Land of Nod’s “secret sauce” at Shop.org’s Annual Summit in Chicago.

In her session at Shop.org’s Digital Retail Boot Camp, Managing Partner Michelle Kohanzoshared the recipe for her company’s “secret sauce.” She focused on just three key ingredients:

• Brand – A strong brand provides a strong foundation for success. Kohanzo says the best brands are multifaceted and always evolving. And branding is more than just a logo. A retail brand should be easy to identify through distinctive product assortment, physical locations, and employees.
• People – If you’re always working to replace yourself, you’ll create strength within your organization. Kohanzo looks for employees who are passionate, intelligent, and kind, then lets them take ownership of their work and the brand.
• Spirit of innovation – It’s hard to embrace change, because we’re naturally afraid of unpredictability and the possibility of failure. Kohanzo encourages curiosity, experimentation, and “building the bridge to the future while you’re walking on it.”

Of course, just knowing the secret ingredients isn’t enough. You also have to know what to do with them. Kohanzo identified specific lessons she’s learned along the way, and boiled them down into a list of key takeaways for retailers:

• Put the customer first – Break down silos in your organization and make sure teams are focused on the customer, not individual marketing programs or specific tasks.
• Develop a product-centric organization – Nod has exclusive products that give the company a competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace.
• Leverage the “Wild West” – Early adopters of technology can take advantage of cheaper opportunities. A decade ago, Kohanzo’s experiments with Google AdWords helped Nod find early success with e-commerce.
• Become the expert – No one knows your brand better than you do. That’s why Kohanzo recommends outsourcing only to learn and to extend resources, but not for expertise.
• Word of mouth – If you do the right thing for a customer, she’ll tell her friends. Every interaction is an opportunity to win a fan. Make a point to inspire and delight shoppers on a daily basis.

VIDEO: The Land of Nod’s Toy Shop, a seasonal pop-up store in New York City

Sometimes finding success isn’t as difficult as avoiding complacency once you’re doing well. Kohanzo stressed the importance of fighting against the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” mindset.

The Land of Nod continues to innovate by exploring opportunities in mobile commerce and the evolving brick-and-mortar space, where stores are becoming more focused on events and experiences. Last year,Nod’s pop-up toy store in New York City provided a branding boost around the holidays, and the company plans to do more this season.

via Shop.org Blog http://blog.shop.org/2013/09/30/the-land-of-nods-secret-sauce-for-multichannel-success/