Retail Dude

And now, George Bush is the new proverbial ‘boot dodger’. The newfound proverb applies on a person who gives a last shot at saving his a** after making false promises and fake pretense. The surprising fact about ‘boot dodgers’ is that one can find them in all walks of life be it cricket, politics, business et al. Though, the concern for us, retail professionals, remains the increasing number who belong to this category.

Some of us might be able to relate this concept to the ‘Gap Model’ under retail marketing. For those unaware, the gap model constitutes four types of gaps viz

• Knowledge Gap
• Standards Gap
• Delivery Gap
• Communication Gap

All but the Communication Gap pertain to the internal loopholes within any organization. Communication gap more about the company’s positioning in the consumer’s mind. Simply put the communication gap means the gap between what the retailer advertises and what he offers. A boot dodger situation arises when the retailer makes big promises, about his service/quality et al, without having the sufficient resources to fulfill them. Though, he does manage to generate a few footfalls, but in the deal causes consumer’s disappointment, which can cost him plenty in the longer run. So in order to revive his sales the retailer gives a last shot at regaining the lost consumers with the age old trick – ‘discounts’. For some it does work, but for most it’s too late, as someone has already taken the retailer’s hot seat by then (pretty similar to what happened in the Bush case).

Moral of the story

For Retailers - Honesty is the best policy

For Consumer – Identify a ‘Boot Dodger’ well in time

- Vivin Wason

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