I did a project last year with the Broad Street Market, a farmers' market here in Harrisburg. (Disclosure: I am on the Market's board of directors.) We were trying to establish some parameters for a strategic plan for the Market. My project was to interview Market customers to understand why and how they valued the Market, and what common issues might be that the strategic plan should address.
I did 60 open-ended interviews, and heard some great stories - for example, a woman in her seventies discussed coming to the Market as a young girl, shopping at a place that used to sell wonderful pears, taking the trolley that ran down 3rd Street. But some of the best stories weren't explicitly told - they occurred during the interviews.
Perhaps half a dozen times an interview was interrupted while the person I was speaking to greeted a friend who walked by: "Hi, how you doing?" and an embrace. "Let's get together," or "See you Saturday."
And when the board reviewed the stories, a theme emerged: community as an important value. We had expected them to discuss safety and cleanliness (and they did). The types of vendors (a bit), fresh and local products (yes) or the hours of operation (a lot). But the theme of community, something we hadn't been looking for, kept coming up. For those customers, the Market was more than just a place to shop. It was a place to meet friends, to stay connected, even to return to after they'd moved out of town.
This is an interesting observation for all brick-and-mortar retailers, restaurants, etc. Even in this technology society, people yearn to get together, to be with friends and acquaintances. (Note how tech-based getting-together solutions like Meetups, Tweetups and Foursquare have emerged.) How aware are you of the community you serve? How can you engage it, and nourish it? How can you honor the value that your customers place in it?
Related posts:
The Values Proposition
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