I Learned it from a Goth Band...
This past weekend my husband and I trekked some 90 miles to see an independent band that runs on an obscure record label. It was a last minute show, scheduled just a week in advance because venues closer to us had fallen through. With less than 100 people in the audience, I stood back and watched the musicians and lead singer work the crowd, and it made me realize...
Even the smallest of businesses can fill a void people can't find elsewhere. I've spent a great deal of time explaining that the numbers of the people coming through the door doesn't matter if the store isn't shopable. That's where conversion ratings come into play. While many say even a one-percent ratio is commonplace, I always say to shoot for more. After all, on a 1,000 visitor day, that translates to 10 orders.
Back to the music... the band was of a more secluded genre - Gothic to be exact. It was $12 a head at the door, and the club was rather small, but homey.
I watched the bar, noticing the two bartenders took not a single break the entire night, rushing about quickly making sure every patron was served. I watched the crowd as the singer stood amongst it, on the floor, singing as if he was jamming in your living room.
I'm sure the band just loves its fans, and I'm sure the club enjoys showcasing raw and rare talent. Still, there had to be a marketing edge to all this, and it's one that paid off.
At the bar, sodas were free (yep, free). I suppose it's to promote sober-driving, and I didn't see the policy abused. If anything I saw the bartenders getting tipped on every drink made, even the freebies.
At the merchandise table, where they offered a plethora of shirts, CDs, buttons and posters, I had to wait in line, as the girls running the gig hunted for more apparel in various sizes. Perhaps they hadn't brought enough, and by my calculations, well over 35% of attendees walked away having bought something they couldn't find elsewhere.
I watched as some of the band members, including those of the opening acts, hung out with the crowd after the show, and even took to the dance floor as the house music kicked in. We met the lead singer, and after exchanging words, he hugged us both. We hit that merchandising table on the way out and my husband now has a new T-shirt.
E-commerce must be in my blood these days, because as we walked the lonely sidewalks back to the car all I could think was how these guys--the band and the club promoter--just got it right. They didn't make mint on the last-minute show, but they sure got better conversions than I've seen at any big-named band's concert. And it all boiled down to making the crowd feel like they were important. They made every person in attendance feel worthy, and it paid off.
It all translates to the quality of the merchant-customer relationship, and focusing on what really matters. The return is a higher conversion. If that means spending more time on converting the people you have rather than scurrying about trying to cram more people than you can handle through the doors, it can still be a good thing.
This post is filed under Developers' Corner and has the following keyword tags: conversion.
