Similarly, I worked with a large bank who was determined to increase their customer satisfaction and loyalty results. Fast forward to the introduction of one national set of processes and the permission for local leaders to do what they thought necessary to appeal to their market, and the results were transformed. This created an operational management nightmare-a challenge when trying to delight clients-and allowed competitors to find easy ways to chip away at their market share. The prior operating model for this 50+ year old business did not have a strong balance between local autonomy and standard processes across all locations, which meant clients did not have a consistent experience. With the benefit of standardized processes, technology and tools, the local operators were able to focus on what mattered most: making powerful and personal ‘sticky’ connections with their clients, building loyalty and creating community. It’s a big change, but I’d suggest that sometimes we need big changes to get big results.Ī former client of mine in the automotive industry pursued a similar strategy, where a high degree of local autonomy led to increased client engagement, market share and operating margin. Daunt’s strategy is a smart one that flies in the face of conventional thinking around centralization, standardization and efficiencies. Maybe he’s even wondered how Barnes & Noble could become more like those thriving indie shops-how a bookselling giant, a household name, could feel “smaller” in order to become more of a community for readers, a place of authenticity, a place of reality in a world of filters and Instagram and TikTok. Daunt has asked himself these same questions. Why is it that these indie bookstores are defying expectations? If success were just about getting books quickly and conveniently, we’d just go online to buy them, wouldn’t we? The assumption, particularly with the quarantine and lockdowns, was that small independent stores were doomed. And while some stores are indeed no longer in business, others have emerged with strength. Yes, a lot of stores have experienced tough times recently, yet indies have been working hard to set themselves apart. What The Independent Stores Can Teach The Mega One-Stop Shops As we navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and start the long process of recovery, what will bring shoppers through Barnes & Noble’s doors may not be the desire to simply purchase a book, but the desire to be a part of something in the community. I would suggest that is something shoppers will remember, talk about and that will bring them back.