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Ray Allegrezza

Small-town retailer thinks big, wins big

I hope you’re like me in that amidst all the doom and gloom, you still keep your eyes peeled for that occasional beacon of light!

Last week, I spotted one in the form of an email from Ryan Casabella of Casabella Furniture, in Corinth, MS.

Ryan identified himself as a small dealer who operates in a town with a population of some 12,000 people.

But as he went on to share what he’s been was doing to improve his business, it soon became apparent that while he may sell in a small town, he’s a big-town thinker.

Ryan shared the particulars of a number of in-store promotions that he’s cooked up and best of all, they are working.

One of the offers is a free 32-inch Toshiba TV with the purchase of a $1,999 living room suite.  In the two weeks he’s conducted the promotion, he’s sold 55 suites.

While that in itself is pretty remarkable, those numbers are even more meaningful when you consider the relatively small market he is working in.

Oh, and the icing on the cake is that he’s also making money on each of the ‘free’ TV sets he gives away.

“It was obvious that the lady wants the furniture, the husband would rather spend the money on a TV, so we found a way to everyone happy,” Casabella told me.

In addition to promotions such as these, he also recently invested $60,000 to create what he’s designated as the Rest Easy Resort, which in layman’s terms is a bedding center.

At his store, the oasis is away from the front of the store and is configured as to give the consumer the impression of being in a resort setting.  He’s added water treatments, fans to create soft ocean breezes and a quiet area for shoppers to test the mattresses.

“Most retailers put their mattresses right by the front door and we know that women in particular, often feel uncomfortable testing a mattress in front of a big glass window.

Those insights have bumped his bedding business up some 20%.  I imagine that in addition to helping his customers sleep better, Ryan is also sleeping better of late.

He’s also doing some clever TV spots and posting them on YouTube, which is an incredibly cost-effective way to get your message in front of tons of potential customers.

The cumulative result is that his overall business is enjoying double digit gains at a time when other competitors are struggling to break even.

“Consumers are still spending money. Maybe not as much or as often as they used to, but the are still spending.  The trick is to get them to spend it with you,” Casabella says.

And based on what he’s done, he should know.

I bet Ryan’s not the only one with an upbeat story to share.
Drop me a note and let me know what you’ve been doing to make your business better.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you!

Ray