Massey’s structures its organization to be lean at the top, hiring many more sales associates than upper management personnel, so they can focus on the interaction that happens on the sales floor. They regularly check in with their staff to see what customers might be asking for that they don’t currently carry. Their aim is to better serve the customers who regularly patron their stores, and much of their strategic product decisions have been driven by this goal.
For example, because of the shift back to brick and mortar and to deliver on customer desires for immediate fulfillment, Massey’s now carries a deeper inventory, all managed through Retail Pro. In listening to their customers and analyzing what market opportunities might become available, Massey’s decided to carry Yeti ice chests and Big Green Egg grills (to cater to Louisiana’s famous barbeque culture). Each new product category is easily added to their inventory inside Retail Pro, and the clear organization within the software gives them flexibility in working with the data to drive better assortments and smarter replenishment.
In addition, they are building stronger relationships with their customer base by emphasizing customer engagement. They put on events in partnership with their vendors, doing Demo Days for their kayaks and hosting movie nights where they show documentaries from Teton Gravity Research, an action sports media company. They hold locally-driven seminars on topics like how to rig your boat for kayak fishing, a sport which gains them a broader audience, since it’s not just for the affluent.
“We're confident in our ability to respond to our customers’ needs with Retail Pro, to give them what they really want,” Fullington commented. Whereas in their e-commerce-heavy strategy, the company saw much sales growth will little change in the margin, focusing on the physical locations has increased margins and the company is earning more profit.