'Clayhanger' is thrown back on the wheel
Based in Exeter’s independent-haven Gandy Street, ‘Clayhanger‘, the purveyor of all things delightfully unique and unusual, has ceased to trade.
Obviously shops close for lack of custom. Nothing new there. But how could Clayhanger have increased their custom? Or was this closure inevitable?
I know that personally, I only visited Clayhanger a handful of times - mainly to get a quirky gift for friend’s Stag Nights – and I would bet that their other customers are all pretty much in the same boat. What they need, then, is a way to increase the frequency of custom.
Selling what they sold – an assortment of unusual, often tacky thing – there would never be an increase in frequency. People simply don’t need it, nor do they want it. There is no doubt that they would need to focus their attention in another direction. If it’s unusual they want to sell, then how about selling unusual experience? How about going beyond selling gifts for stag nights, and selling stag night packages? Hen nights? Birthday packages?
Word of mouth is the target of good marketing. Clayhanger had none, unless you wanted some unusual tack. Experience creates word of mouth. Experience is king.