Local
I recently popped down to my neighborhood bike shop with my daughter to pick her up a Strider. I walked into an empty shop and the employee behind the counter had his head buried in his phone. He looked up at me as I walked in then went back to typing on his phone. We walked around the shop for a long minute before he put his phone down and said “Can I help you?”
I could have ordered the same bike on Amazon, it would have arrived the next day with free shipping and I would have had more color options to choose from. But memories are precious and I wanted the experience of going into a physical bike shop with my daughter and watching her eyes light up as she trots around, plays with the pedals of the display bikes, and ultimately gets the stoke of taking something home with her.
As an independent business owner supported by the community around me, I deeply want to support other businesses in my community. But the reason local businesses are special is not simply because they’re local, but because of the connection and care they have the opportunity to provide. What the bike shop failed to realize is that their real business opportunity is to create an experience, because the products they sell are simply commodities (there are hundreds of places I can buy a Strider).
If we strip away the magic of the human experience we shouldn’t be surprised when people opt out of supporting local businesses and simply click to buy on Amazon. But if we take the opportunity in front of us seriously and focus on creating connection and delighting our guests and partners, we become irreplaceable.