How can you get even more out of your shop? That was the question experts Ellen Oord and Cornelie Guise asked the shop teams at Jharcraft in Ranchi and Delhi. Jharcraft is Women on Wings’ newest customer and has made a significant contribution to the growth in jobs. But even more growth can be realised by optimising Jharcraft shops.
In Ranchi, Ellen and Cornelie visited two Jharcraft shops. After the first quick ‘tips & tricks’ session with the shop teams, the tips were used more comprehensively. Ellen: “What began as a place to stack products, has now been transformed into an inspirational shop that is much more comprehensive for the customer. Products are set out according to type and are presented with style and colour. The customer can now find certain products much more easily and is drawn through the shop in a logical manner.”
Not every shop faces the same challenges. In Delhi there are two Jharcraft shops, with a third to open its doors shortly. The existing Delhi shops struggle more with ‘traffic’. Cornelie: “As well as giving some tips on Visual Merchandising, we worked more consciously with the teams in Delhi on coming up with things to attract customers into the shop. We had a huge brainstorming session about generating traffic into the shop through ‘out of the box’ activities that included fashion shows, artisan demonstrations and special VIP sales evenings.”
The story behind Jharcraft products, made by hand according to age-old traditions by women in rural areas, is made more visible by the shops. A communication plan was created for the shop team in each shop with an activity calendar setting out the various (celebration) months.
The first results, after just a few weeks, were incredibly positive and have encouraged the shop teams to continue working with the tips & tricks.
