Tobacco Business

[ 84 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER | 21 ] Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop had undergone several major transformations before Wood came on board. When it first opened in 1959, it was nothing more than a table separated from another business by a cloth partition within the Bazaar of All Nations shopping center located in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania. After five years in that location, the shop officially changed its name to Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop and relocated to one of the first strip malls in America, the Manoa Shopping Center in Havertown, Pennsylvania. It remained in this location for 25 years. Once Mayer assumed control of the store, it grew even more, and like most successful tobacco retailers, it was understood that in order for the store to grow it would need more space. It moved to its current location at 95 S. Eagle Road in Havertown in 2010. The move allowed it to expand its humidor and open what would become the first Liga Privada lounge. Each move was necessary for Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop to grow and better serve its customers. Providing locals with a place to comfortably smoke and relax was not only important to Mayer but helped make the business more important to its customers. Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop has resisted the urge to actively fight for dominance and notoriety among other tobacconists in the area and instead focused on customer experience to remain front of mind with its customers. “So many businesses want to stand out as the first, the best, the only, when really it’s a matter of being your own shop’s personal best for the customer,” says Wood. “All the glitz and glamour fades when satisfaction in a service is poor or undesirable. Fortunately, there is such a brotherhood in this industry, especially in this area, that we all support and respect each other, which helps our individual businesses grow because of it.” Another key factor in Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop’s approach to customer service is to go far beyond the goal of buying and selling. Instead, Wood and others at the store are more concerned with building relationships that are rooted in trust, knowledge and understanding. They work to communicate that each product in the store is more than just a transaction and instead is about an appreciation of the craftsmanship and love that goes into creating each cigar. That requires Wood and others on the team to listen and get to know the customers so that they can better guide them toward the products that will allow them to relax and enjoy the cigars and overall Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop experience. To grow in retail, you must fully understand a customer’s tastes and needs and consider what brought them to your store in the first place. Just Be You You can’t build a strong retail presence by trying to copy what others are doing. Authenticity is another key part of Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop’s growth strategy. Wood explains that his store’s best marketing tool is word of mouth. Having the shop’s customers boasting about the store, its products and its customer service to their friends creates a ripple effect that brings in new customers all the time. While traditional advertising has its perks and promoting the store through social media is also important for building brand awareness, nothing beats the power and value of word of mouth. The only way to convert your customers into brand ambassadors is for the store to understand and embrace what makes it unique. “Be yourself,” Wood advises. “We got into this business out of our love for cigars, and our authenticity and transparency in the industry goes miles. Not really feeling a cigar that just came out but has a huge hype? Guess what? I’m going to tell you what I thought and be completely honest. We’re not here to just sell you stuff; we’re here to guide you through the journey with the things we’ve picked up along the way, which make us nerd out, get excited and fall in love with tobacco all over again.” Another way Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop stays front of mind with its customers is by creating various touchpoints for engagement. There are cut-and-light events that feature different manufacturers mingling with and teaching customers about their products. There’s also the store’s Liga Privada lounge, which is open to all during regular business hours. Through a membership, customers then have 24-hour access to the lounge, which is decked out with five televisions, comfortable seating, a vending machine and games that encourage members to interact with each other. In-store merchandising is also very important to a customer’s shopping experience. “The merchandising part is important, but really it’s all just aesthetics: being simple, clean, organized, approachable,” says Wood. “The real merchandising comes from the staff. It doesn’t ultimately matter how many displays there are when you have your own personal shopper to guide you along the wide aisles and educate you on all things tobacco.” Beyond the physical store, technology helps Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop communicate and engage its customers beyond the physical store. With many of its customers using social media, Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop works hard on its own social media presence. Through Instagram and Facebook especially, the store regularly posts information on featured products, deals, store events and other updates to customers that follow the store on its various social media sites. You can’t build a strong retail presence by trying to copy what others are doing. Authenticity is another key part of Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop’s growth strategy. — Dan Wood