Tweak #087: The "Pow" of Specialness and Scarcity at Powell's

If Indiana Jones went for the Holy Grail and found it in a heap of other stuff, it wouldn't seem nearly so worth the quest. Let's look at the power of creating feelings of specialness and scarcity in your displays this week with a great example from Madeleine Moore at Powell's Books.  

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
One of the most inspiring displays I've seen lately came from Madeline Moore
at Powell's Books, where the Rare Books Collection is a great example of conveying
specialness and scarcity.
Hi, I'm Lisa Urich, and this is your two-minute tweak, a small idea that can
bring big results for your store this week.
In the Professional Booksellers School Workshop Steve Wax and I recently led

(00:24):
on display and marketing, Madeline sent pictures of her work and just inspired us all.
In one picture, she placed a rare book from a collection surrounded by an arc
on the table, giving this real sense of awe.
What makes that work so well? Well, for starters, she's using one of the pattern
languages we know works for bookstores.

(00:44):
It's the language of specialness and scarcity.
The placement has an arch around it, an unusual shape, and a focus book takes
up a lot of space all by itself in the middle, giving that special center book lots of room to breathe.
The idea of specialness and scarcity doesn't just work for rare and collectible
books. It can work with anything you love.

(01:05):
Think of each book as a nerve ending, a piece of art, and try elevating one
you love today in this way.
It's important that it be just one or a collection like this.
I was talking yesterday with a 20 something married business specialist,
and he was describing how he and his wife shop these days, why they love indie
bookshops and other indie shops on the main street.

(01:27):
Everything he said was about finding something special and scarce.
Something that isn't on every shelf in a superstore.
If Indiana Jones went for the Holy Grail and found it in a heap of other stuff,
it wouldn't seem nearly so worth the quest.
We want that special thing to be bathed in light, elevated and separated.
And here's the real secret. This kind of treatment can work for every curated book.

(01:53):
In our stores they can't all be super
special at once of course but all over your store you can have moments like
these moments where you pull something forward give it room make sure it has
light lift it up and as soon as it sells do it for another specialness and scarcity
is today's secret weapon and i hope it brings smiles and sales all day long.

(02:16):
Music.