Running Insight

And Penrose needed data. So he created a spreadsheet and began gathering information. For every customer who walked in the door, Penrose noted gender and approximate age. He tracked their movement through the store; how much time they spent looking at various items; and if they purchased goods or seemed to be showrooming. "Honestly, I would've videotaped it if I had thought of it earlier," Penrose says. Along with collecting the hard data, Penrose engaged customers in conversation, learning bits and pieces about their fitness endeavors and shopping habits as well as their thoughts on Klicks. The Birth of BBay Running The multi-day observational exercise, something Penrose acknowledges any retailer can do to get fresh eyes on his or her existing business, proved to be a telling endeavor that solidified Penrose's intentions to purchase Klicks, but also spotlighted necessary changes. Armed with the insights, Penrose began making tangible changes upon taking ownership, including: A new name and branding Not convinced the Klicks name held marketplace traction, Penrose tabbed a friend who specializes in branding to craft a new name and logo. That friend recommended BBay Running, a simple, catchy name, as well as a logo and colors – royal, navy and a reddish-orange hue – that tie into Bellingham's Pacific Northwest location. "You'll even notice that the inside of the 'b' is a droplet of water," Penrose says. A more lively space Penrose says Klicks felt "more like a library than a vibrant retail store," something he believed played negatively on customers' energy. To enliven the atmosphere, Penrose installed a sound system for light music to wash over the space; swapped out old light bulbs that muted clothing in favor of LED illumination; built a wall in BBay's new brand colors to separate the stockroom from the showroom; placed a handful of toxin-removing plants throughout the space; and reupholstered benches with new leather while also replacing broken fitting stools. "From the moment the customer steps into the store, I wanted it to be a welcoming, lively environment," Penrose says. A single shoe wall During his observation, Penrose noted inefficiencies from having the men's shoe wall on one side of the store with the women's on the other. If an associate was helping customers of different genders, he or she had to bounce back and forth. By moving all footwear to one wall, associates and customers could enjoy more seamless and steady interaction. A more refined layout Penrose found research on how consumers typically enter and traverse a retail space – looking left first before moving to the right. If consumers were to do that at Klicks, it provided a disjointed, frazzled experience. In response, Penrose removed the maze of racks blocking customers' visual path to the store's shoe wall, the showroom's focal point. This also eliminated the zigzagging journey customers endured if they wanted to travel from the shoe wall to the front door to trial shoes on the sidewalk. More focused service In talks with returning customers, Penrose found they visited Klicks because of the friendly, knowledgeable service they received. An undeniable positive for any would-be owner, Penrose simply wanted to provide structure and consistency to his team's efforts on the floor. Penrose created a three-page sales protocol defining how staff should engage customers from beginning to end. A living, breathing document that Penrose continues to refine, he says the sales protocol provides customers "a consistent experience that is memorable and positive." Penrose's changes at the Bellingham retail store have spurred positive results, both in terms of sales and customer feedback, and while he is proud of the strides BBay Running has made, he acknowledges the store remains a work in progress. Continued observation and data collection, he assures, will continue to guide decisions. "This allows us to reset our store with customers and resist any complacency, and that's so important in a specialty retail environment like ours," he says. n 4 runninginsight.com © 2017 Formula4media LLC. BBay Running (continued) Getting ready for a "pub run" at BBay Running. Owner David Penrose is pictured at far left bottom row.

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