In the bustling corridors of Kearney’s Sporting Edge, digital marketing has emerged as a pillar of customer engagement, especially during the holiday season. Jim Crosby, who founded the store over four decades ago, has witnessed a shift towards digital advertising, which has become increasingly vital in the past five years.
“We do a lot of digital advertising year-round through all of the social media channels. And 2020 was definitely a good initiation to all of that,” Crosby stated. “We’ve got to change a little bit how we communicate with them, with our customers because, whenever we were stuck at home, we had to figure out a way to have them be aware of what we had in the store.”
According to Crosby, data-driven advertising strategies have been instrumental in attracting new clientele. He remarked, “We have a whole division that I probably can’t answer as well as they could, but I do see the results in many new customers coming in and new contacts being made.”
Over the past year, economic fluctuations, including tariffs, have posed challenges. These changes have influenced pricing but have only minimally impacted the store’s inventory. Crosby commented, “I think probably the biggest factor is the unknown — people not knowing what the future holds. You’ve got tariffs looming out there; you’ve got government shutdown looming out there; all those things. It created a little bit of an unrest. Any time there’s unrest, I think it affects shopping a little bit.”
Retail expert Otto highlighted the complications tariffs introduce for small businesses, stating, “Tariffs have been an issue. Most retailers have all of the inventory in stock already for the holiday season. So, tariffs have been tough to navigate. But it has forced retailers to be more proactive and start ordering their inventory sooner.”
Despite these economic variables, Crosby remains cautiously optimistic about the upcoming holiday season. By reflecting on past sales and nurturing customer relationships, his business continues to adapt and succeed in a fluctuating market environment.
