Denver Art Museum Shop
In this age of austerity and cuts to museum funding, the need to maximise on commercial revenue whether this be from catering or retail, must surely be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
The recently published book, ‘Museum Retailing,’ is a compilation of articles written by US museum retail expert, Andrew Andoniadis, who has written extensively in professional and trade magazines in North America. Published by Museum’s Etc, it’s perhaps a timely reminder that successful museum retailing is a crucial income stream and an integral part of the business.
The book draws comparisons from museums across North America as well as the wider retail sector and there are obvious parallels for UK and European museums. One of the guiding principles throughout is that a museum shop should reflect the mission, vision and values of the institution. Andoniadis reminds us that products which reflect and complement the collections and exhibitions, provide an opportunity for continuing education and community outreach. Given that a shop is often the last port of call on a typical visit, he suggests there’s an opportunity to create a lasting impression through enhanced customer service and attractive products.
Customer service and training is crucial and Andoniadis again reminds us that that retail staff will probably have more interactions with the visitor than any other department and suggests that volunteers can play an equally important role as their salaried counterparts, within a team.
There are a number of useful and very detailed articles on increasing profitability through robust financial management which includes sections on spend per visitor, no of transactions, capture rate, visitor numbers, as well as display and merchandising. In particular, Andoniadis recommends a rigorous approach to purchasing and planning, to address the perennial problem of stock control and over-ordering,
Although the book warns against the pitfalls of early expansion into satellite stores, it is surprisingly non-committal about on-line retailing. It touches on social media in the context of mailing lists, but I was maybe expecting more about the use of the use of social media and the opportunities that this creates for cross promotions and discounting across wider museum activities. What it does recommend is that museum shops should be investing 3-5% net sales on marketing. I wonder how many organisations actually do this? In my experience not many!
The book is easy to read and can be read from cover to cover, or dipped into for guidance on specific issues, but because it is made up of a series of articles, it can be rather repetitive in places and would perhaps have benefited from a further edit. Nevertheless, at £44.95, it’s an extremely useful publication as it can be used as a training manual for new or inexperienced staff. For more seasoned retailers, the ideas, advice and pragmatic common-sense approach act as a useful aide-mémoire and potential benchmarking tool. Its detailed approach could also be applied across retail outlets in wider tourist and visitor attractions.
The book can be purchased from MuseumsEtc via the following link:
