A Brick and mortar approach

I read about Barnes and Nobel on NPR  It’s an interesting approach to rebuilding for retailers:

The biggest change borrowed from the playbook of independent bookshops: Daunt gave local Barnes & Noble stores much more authority to order what their readers, in their area want to see.

It's "a huge shift, frankly, in philosophy for us as a bookseller," DeVito says.

"It's not an algorithm. It's not something that's dynamically pulled from a code," she says. "It's very much a — I read this, I loved it, I know this area really gravitates towards beekeeping books, so I'm going to create the best beekeeping display I can because this is my local store."

[https://www.npr.org/2023/03/07/1161295820/how-barnes-noble-turned-a-page-expanding-for-the-first-time-in-years]

The part that struck me is that they relied on their people. Often you go into a chain store in any city, and it looks like the same chain store in any other city. For many this can be reassuring for the customer, but in the case of a bookstore or other more specialized retailer, I can see where, carrying the product that the people in your area want to purchase is the best approach. 

It is especially interesting that the store is not only choosing products, but re-organizing to emphasize those products and gain additional sales. More stores need to realy on their people and not some computer algorithm to boost sales. The people in the local store are the ones that know what their clients want. Use their ideas for product selection and placement.

By extension, you need to listen and understand your customers. We aren't all the same, especially across a country as large as the United States. Know what people want and will buy. Don't rely on your suppliers (kickbacks), but talk to and watch your customers.

The idea is that people will tell you what they want, but you must listen, understand, and then act on what they are telling you. Then enjoy the profits.