“I think local businesses are the heartbeat of any community,” said Sam Mogannam, founder of Bi-Rite Market, during an SFA webinar, Tuesday. “When you talk to people about why they choose to live somewhere or why they love it, the top answers are restaurants or shops, or whatever. That’s where you connect, learn, and share.”
Mogannam was joined by Stefan Kalb, CEO and founder of Shelf Engine, a platform that helps retailers manage their inventory. Kalb echoed Mogannam’s statement, adding his company hopes to empower local and specialty retailers to connect better with customers.
“We ask ourselves, what do we need to do from a tech perspective to give Bi-Rite or other retailers the ability to be a leader in their community? Massive companies have the money to spend on technology, but we want to help businesses that don’t have those resources at hand,” said Kalb.
Mogannam shared that to earn its place as a community leader, Bi-Rite embraces a customer-centric philosophy, which is driven by an implicit trust between retailer and shopper.
“The foundation to any relationship is trust,” he said. “Anytime someone makes the decision to walk through your threshold or place an order with you online, they’ve made the decision to trust you with feeding them. They’ve made the decision, now it’s up to you to do it well.”
To build this trust, Mogannam suggested that retailers should really listen to their customers about what is working and what isn’t, and be grateful for that feedback.
“When someone takes the time to share a win or an opportunity, they’re making an investment in improving that relationship,” he said.
Related: NGA: Independent Grocers Contribute to U.S. Economy; Product Sampling Slow to Return for Specialty Retailers.