Little Dudes and Divas is going head-to-head with the likes of Nordstrom, Macy’s, Babies “R” Us and even Diapers.com.
This small business does 90% of its sales through the internet and the rest through their brick-and-mortar store in Rockaway Park, N.Y. Even with the bulk of their business online, the founders of this company say their greatest strength is relationships with customers.
Steve and Susan Karasanti founded Little Dudes and Divas seven years ago. They sell clothes and accessories for infants and toddlers – everything from diapers and stroller blankets to diaper bags and car seat covers – and now have three employees. They ship around the world and are always ready to help customers find what they need.
When a call comes in from a customer wanting to know how to pack a particular bag in a certain way, the staff at Little Dudes and Divas makes a video. They walk through how to pack each item, special tips for preventing leaks or breakage, and then make it available to everyone on their site.
I spotted the Karasantis and their business in Gabriel Shaoolian’s column (You’re The Boss) in the New York Times. There are two things in particular that he’s looking at with Little Dudes and Divas – the trust factor, and reasons for buying. In addition to what I share here, you can listen to this week’s episode of Social Media: Cheap and Easy to discover the one mistake Gabriel is making that will truly make the difference between massive growth and stagnation in any business.
Competition has certainly stiffened since the company started seven years ago. Mr. Karasanti says, “It’s very hard to compete with the bigger online companies on price, but we can compete by giving our customers personal attention.”
That personal attention is a key element in business success at any time, and it’s becoming increasingly important in today’s marketplace. We’re experiencing a crisis of trust – everyone is sceptical of everything (even this statement) – and business owners are feeling the pinch.
Here are three strategies for to make your customer relationships stronger, and help your business stand out from the competition:
Show Appreciation
One of the simplest things to do is run a birthday program in your business. Simply ask customers for the month and date of their birth so you can give them special attention on their birthday.
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