Giving readers what they want
BY TAN GIM EANMALAYSIANS who weary of the country’s perpetual quest for superlatives can take heart that quality will share equal shelf space with quantity at the spanking new Borders bookstore at Berjaya Times Square shopping complex in Kuala Lumpur.
This assurance comes from three men at the helm of the American chain, who were at the store’s opening last Tuesday.
Rick Vanzura acknowledges that “coming out of the blocks, we don’t have all the information about customer demand yet – like what will or won’t sell. But the beauty of our inventory approach is that we can always change and keep getting better over time.”
Vanzura is president of Borders Group, International and Paperchase Worldwide. He was referring to 200,000 titles spread over more than 5,000 sq m of floor space, which makes Berjaya’s the biggest Borders store in the world. It is also the chain’s first franchise market, and the first to stock Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese titles in the region.
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From left: Gregg Bodnar, Rick Vanzura and John Campradt ... out to forge a relationship with customers. |
“It’s the logical place if you’re coming into Malaysia. Berjaya Times Square is at the heart of the city and has the right space. It owns and operates the store, while we provide the expertise for brand identity, inventory sourcing and staff training.
“We’re particularly protective of our brand. We believe in having the right partnership with a company that understands retail and can make it work.”
On its part, Borders promises that KL will boast a selection that’s “as good as, if not better than” that of its Singapore store, to which books lovers here used to have to drive down.
The physical dimensions of the new store allow ample room for customers to saunter along the aisles and take their time to check out what’s new or hot. Soft seating, vibrant colours and a cheery atmosphere combine to invite them to interact with the products.
On inventory selection, John Campradt, managing director for the Pacific Rim, says one-third of Borders’ title base is common across the chain. The rest depends on geography: stocks are constantly adapted to suit the demands of the local community. For example, what customers require at a store in a central business district would differ from, say, one located in the suburbs.
“Customisation” – giving people what they want – as well as introducing them to titles they may not be used to encountering, can help grow readers who will eventually start talking about “my Borders bookstore”. That is the benchmark for the KL set-up, Vanzura says.
“There was a fair amount of scepticism when we went into Singapore in 1997. But our experience there has proved that there is room for a superstore with the kind of assortment grown in the marketplace.”
The chain has had equally positive responses in Puerto Rico and Christchurch. While the odd customer might ask, “Why would I need an assortment this large?”, the majority were enthusiastic. “We have been waiting for this,” they said. In fact, an ecstatic reader proclaimed that Borders “brought civilisation to Christchurch”!
Vanzura notes that the difference between a good and a first-class operation is a matter of degree.
“When we open a store, we might be approximately correct with our inventory. Then we find that one section might need to be 5% larger, so we adapt. Over time, we refine our selections to give it that precision.”
Ultimately, what defines a world-class store is that “something special that touches you and moves you to feel good.” Borders subscribes to giving customers the titles they want, and occasionally surprising them with one they did not think they would need, so they will get “the experience of the store”. In the process of growing readers, a relationship is forged.
The store experience is hands-on and interactive, boosted no doubt by the fact that, like in Singapore, none of the products in KL are shrink-wrapped.
Most people walk into a bookstore with no intention of buying, observes Gregg Bodnar, vice-president, international chief financial officer. But give them the chance to flip through the pages, or take a book to the in-store cafe for a closer look, and 20% end up making a purchase – a fact backed by figures in the United States.
There is a co-relation between time spent browsing and buying, Bodnar says. In a regular bookstore, customers stay seven to eight minutes, on average. At Borders, they linger for about an hour, time enough to interact with a book and decide, “I want to take it home”.
If you provide a great physical experience, that translates into business, Vanzura adds.
Where does service come in?
“It is hard to train all the staff,” Campradt replies. “If they are passionate about books, they will learn by dealing with the customers and go on this wonderful journey of discovery, too.
“People self-select into an environment. There are those who feel intimidated about coming in here. But we have serious customers who expect a certain level of service. If the staff don’t really engage them interactively, they will leave.”
It is this hardcore belief in engagement that enables the chain to “conquer” new borders, despite “formidable” competition from established stores. As Vanzura says, “We don’t take competition lightly. Hopefully, it will be differentiated. What’s great about retail is that it doesn’t take long to see where you stand.”
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