American-born British businessman Harry Selfridge is a marketing genius. It was he who came up with a large number of store tricks that still help to attract buyers to sellers.
Harry was born into the family of an American entrepreneur. His father had his own store in Jackson, Michigan. The future businessman himself worked for a quarter of a century in a large chain of stores in Chicago - “Marshall Field & Company”. Here Selfridge went from being a simple worker to a junior companion.
It was Harry who came up with the idea of Christmas discounts under the slogan "There are only _ days left until Christmas." He is also credited with the phrase “The client is always right”.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, already being a wealthy man, Harry went on a journey to Foggy Albion. Here he did not like the service so much that he decided to fix everything and teach the prim Brits to trade. In 1909, the American opened his own department store in London called Selfridges.
Here's what Selfridge suggested:
- at the department store Harry always wanted to stay as long as possible. There were cafes, nurseries, "ladies' rooms," a post office, and even a telephone line;
- he made his store truly multifunctional. Selfridges had a currency exchange, beauty salon and even a medical center;
- The department store opened its doors to all segments of the population. It was strictly forbidden to be rude or to expel people who came “just to see”. All visitors were greeted with a smile. Ladies could easily visit the department store without being accompanied by men;
- Selfridge has come up with big discounts. Products in a department store could have dropped in price by 50%. This brought the businessman over three million pounds in income;
- the department store always smelled good. The owner of Selfridges ordered vases of flowers and perfume to be placed throughout the building. These scents attracted customers as much as huge discounts;
- it was Harry who first came up with the idea of illuminating the windows in the evening;
- goods at Selfridges were wrapped in branded packaging;
- the American began to advertise his department store through newspapers and radio. Calls to visit Selfridges were also in public transport, as well as in public transport.
In addition, Harry took care of his staff as well. So, at the expense of the company, department store employees ate, visited a hairdresser, rested at a ski resort and even had parties. Selfridge did not fine subordinates for not following the plan. He didn't even punish for being dusty on the counter. He just traced his initials in the dust. The counter instantly became clean.
For us, all these tricks seem commonplace. But for the beginning of the twentieth century, all the innovations of the American businessman became revolutionary. Harry Selfridge turned the concept of service upside down and turned it to face the customer.
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By the way, on March 15 the whole world celebrates the day of consumer rights protection. It was on this day that Selfridges was opened.