I spent some time at the Dymocks flagship store in Sydney earlier in the week and was surprised at how far it had evolved from a traditional bookshop offering. While they still sell books, they have a strong representation of gifts, cards, social stationery, gadgets and toys / games. The photo shows part of their toy / game area which is in the front part of the store. I’d say it’s located here because it’s an important part of their offer.
The borders between retail niches have become blurred in recent years and this will be even more so as more niches encounter challenges from online.
Smart retailers today don’t define their businesses by the traditional past of the channel. They focus on what they can sell regardless of whether it neatly fits the business they offer. This is why we see newsagents doing so well today with gifts, plush, jewellery, toys, homewares and fashion.
Being a retailer and not an agent means we have to continually evolve our businesses, to make the most of the opportunities we see where we can generate and nurture our own traffic from decisions we make – even if the products are outside of what we have traditionally offered.