Virtual Reality – Product Education At It’s Best
Written By Pleasure Product Retail Expert Danielle Seerley — I struggled this month with deciding on a topic for my monthly column. Often, it’s easy to choose what to talk about based on current feedback I’m hearing in stores or from fellow road reps. I search for topics that not only resonate with me but hopefully topics that are important to our industry family. I love it when I read something from a favorite editor, and it feels like it was written just for me. That is the experience I hope to impart with some of you that choose to spend time with me through my articles.
But life has been different lately, and those conversations and topics that usually organically appear have changed, and I want to change with them. So I looked at some of the things that I would want to talk with you about if we were sitting in person…
How are you holding up with Covid? As a manufacturer, tell me what is happening in your store. Covid has forced all of us to be more adaptable and solution orientated. A lot of old “rules” and barriers are no longer there, or as sales reps, we have been empowered to work with you. I don’t just want to know about my brand, I want to know about your employees and how store morale is? Store associates have been through a lot as well and are our front line…how can I help you take care of them? I know social distancing rules have made shopping more challenging, how can manufacturers help? Our teams are ready to support you. Don’t think of us as your manufacturers or sales reps, we are your family and here to take care of you. You help take care of us when we need it.
How has Black Lives Matter impacted you and your team? This is tough. There are some hard conversations happening and it impacts all of us. Our Industry got called out and we are all making positive changes to do better. Packaging, graphics, imagery, verbiage. All things that have gone overlooked, are going to take time to change. But the important thing is recognizing where we can do better and acting on those items. I look forward to a more inclusive industry, that is forever growing and connecting. I love the diversity I see visiting stores, I would love to talk to you about how we can do more, together.
While we may be physically separated, most of us have become closer through online connecting. It’s a new virtual world we live in and are learning to thrive in. I want to talk to you about training and product education that your employees and store associates can access from home. Let’s talk about the people that spend 2-3 hours of travel time to come into a store for 45 min training. I hear you, let’s make these easier. It’s hard to take people off the sales floor or give hours for training. How can I be more accessible to you and your employees? I’ve turned my webinar training into a Netflix and chill style so that people can tune in from the store or home. We do mornings and evenings, weekdays, and weekends. Let me know how this is helpful or how manufacturers can make product education easier to access. Let’s talk about being forced out of our comfort zones together and laugh about online training gone awry. Finally – I’d really like to give a friendly scratch and pet to all the furbabies I see at home with you. Getting to see our industry at home in your natural habitat is amazing. I love that we have been able to see a bit more of the humanity in each other than we did before.
At the end of the day, I’d like to talk to you about how hard it is to do all the things I mentioned above at once. It’s easy to get overwhelmed about all the things you are “supposed” to be doing in your stores. Look for the helpers. Look for your family. I would recommend the following online groups for retailers or manufacturers to stay connected.
Retail Peeps (Xbiz Page – Arianna and Sara) This group is perfect for all industry news, at every level. Trade show info is posted here as well, a great place to “meet” other industry people.
P3 (Pleasure Professionals Place – Paul Reutershan, Steve Sav, and Tamara Bell) A great group for manufacturers to post product information, brand updates, and other industry-related news. A great group for anyone from a manufacturer to a store associate. A well moderated and broad range of content.
SPAM (Sex Professionals and Manufacturer’s – Megan Swartz) A retail group designed around product education. Live training is typically held on Thursdays at 11 am central. Great for retailers to connect with each other and learn about products. Also good for retailers to connect over any product questions, or what distributors may carry items you are interested in.
I couldn’t see any of you recently, but if I had maybe our conversation would have gone a little something like this…