Where is the best place to shop? Starbucks executives share experience in perfect location

Do you want to open your own shop? As we all know, the most important thing to open a shop is the location, but where should I choose? ArthurRubinfeld, a former vice president of Starbucks, used his experience in expanding Starbucks from more than 100 stores to more than 4000 stores around the world to guide the perfect four steps for anyone who wants to open a successful store.

Step1 chooses the place: determine the crowd and flow

First of all, you have to know where people are going, not just there, such as breakfast restaurants where office workers go, and video rental shops on their way home. You can take the time to calculate the number of people in the morning, afternoon and evening in the target area where you are interested, count the number of people entering nearby stores, and see the proportion of office workers, students and housewives who pass by. and at least once on weekdays and weekends to know the exact distribution of the crowd.

In addition to where people are going, you also have to consider how long it will take people to get to your store. The cheaper the product, the less willing customers are to spend time. For example, convenience stores define the main business area in terms of 3 minutes, and coffee shops take about 5 minutes. Unless you plan to sell cars, which is a high unit price item, generally speaking, customers can only bear a maximum of 7 minutes of travel time.

Step2 looking for location: visit the surroundings

With a pre-selected pocket site, the second step is to inspect its surroundings first, which should be viewed from two angles: one is from the perspective of businessmen: what are the signs that the site can generate performance? Secondly, from the customer's point of view: will you go shopping at this place? The prime location has an unpopular corner, and the secondary business district also has a popular stronghold. Looking for a place is the most taboo only to see others succeed and want to copy a store next door, unless you are sure to make your own differentiation.

In addition, pay attention to whether competitors located on the opposite corner or not far away will steal your business? Can you intercept customers one step ahead of others on the customer's action route? Always pay attention to your opponent's position and look for places that can compete. You must maintain your lead, otherwise, you will always be at a disadvantage if you are in the downwind of a store of the same nature.

Step3 looks at the storefront: architecture is equal to live advertising

Please look at the store in the mood of a first date, care and doubt. First look at the distance, and then look closer, imagine what your store feels like in this space. Once the store name is put on the sign, will it be very conspicuous? Can anyone who drives by see it? Can pedestrians notice from the sidewalk? A good storefront is like a live advertisement, which not only makes it easy for people to find you, but also shows itself to potential customers on the road.

In addition, architectural design is also a key point. is this location suitable for retail? Is it attractive? Even in similar shopping streets in design, the quality can be quite different. Is the quality of the building as good as yours? Remember, be sure to think about buildings in terms of brand building.

Step4 chooses neighbors: good neighbors tell you to fight less

Customers will think that the quality of goods in neighboring stores is also quite similar, so it is important to be located in the same location as similar brands, because some location strategies are "parasitic". Open a clothing store next to a big department store and a live food store next to a high-end supermarket. Customers who are attracted by big brands will also be attracted by you.

In addition, it would be better to meet some high-quality neighbors such as video rental shops or dry cleaners, because these stores have the opportunity to "visit twice". People send their clothes to wash, and they are bound to come back to get them every few days. Post offices and supermarkets are also such useful crowd dart, and if you can touch their light, it will definitely add a lot of points to your business.

Source: Taiwan "Manager" monthly, author: Xie Mingyi