Southland retailers get a lift

Southlanders are prepared to travel and spend elsewhere, which may have a long-term impact on retail trade in the south.

At a First Retail Group workshop hosted by Venture Southland this week, 80 retailers discussed the challenges of the current retail industry.

Marketview head of solutions Michael Stechman said last year the amount spent by Invercargill people in the North Island was up 53.5 per cent from 2014.

‘‘Last year [2014] it only accounted for 4.5 per cent of their total retail budget, and [2015] it’s up to 6.5 per cent,’’ Stechman said.

The results showed Invercargill’s population was travelling more and choosing to spend in other cities. If the trend continued, retail growth in Invercargill could decline, he said.

Business owners from as far away as Athol came to get advice on how to effectively tackle today’s challenging retail environment, especially as consumers become more comfortable buying items online, than ever before.

The First Retail NZ workshop covered a range of options for Southland retailers to retain shoppers at home.

Lusty’s Showcase Jewellers manager Tania Hill was at the workshop to pick up a few tips on how to better connect with her customers.

‘‘With the changes in the rural sector, with dairy in particular, and people [buying] online and overseas, it’s difficult to make people understand that we’re a place you can trust, and a place where you’re valued is important.’’

Excellent customer service, delving into e-commerce and understanding markets were among the key topics covered.

First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson said it was important retailers reached out and asked questions.

‘‘Who’s not shopping with you at the moment? Who can you develop?’’

Guest speaker Chanelle Purser, the owner of Carvin Streetwear, shared her success and vision with fellow retailers.

Purser’s store won Top Shop for Southland and Otago in 2015 in the Retail Excellence Awards and was runner-up for the supreme award for the national title.

For her, success lay with her customer service and building good relationships with her customers. ‘‘People want to feel valued,’’ she said.

Many factors contributed to the customer experience but it was these factors working together that provided the best customer experience, which led to people returning to businesses. ‘‘You don’t have to be a large business to be a good one,’’ she said.

Wilkinson said the workshop was an opportunity for businesses to discuss and share ideas on how to recover spending.

It required greater focus on retailers meeting the market in terms of offer, store experience and online visibility, he said.

‘‘A number of retailers expressed a desire to expand, either in store size or look at new sites, which is a positive. Lots of those along yesterday, have been benefiting from the strong growth in tourism which is having a ripple across Southland.’’