Communications – An Extension of the Museum Experience

August 8, 2015

Over the years, I’ve come to recognize the power of communication as it relates to the success of our museum store. At its core, communication helps us connect our store with every other facet of the museum, as well as our customers.

When you ask, “What does communications have to do with museum retail?” My answer would be that if you’re not properly communicating with your staff and other departments, then you’re not communicating well with the public.

If you see your retail operation as an integral part of your museum, then you understand the importance of bringing the instution’s distinctive brand into your store. We see our store at Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena as an extension of our museum’s exhibition space. Our staff is chosen from the regular museum staff so they can bring their knowledge and experience into our store. This connection with the museum enables them to interact with museum-goers on an entirely different level. There is a huge advantage in having a real educator in the store versus a salesperson. They are uniquely qualified to tie the museum experience to our merchandise.

Having well-trained floor staff is one of the three key steps I use to help promote communication in our retail operation. As we evaluate the mission and purpose of our museum, we work closely with our staff so they have a deeper understanding of how the items in our store connect with the displays and exhibits in the museum.

When you begin to view the real estate of the store as a key element for communicating the museum’s brand, then you can understand how it creates a physical and tangible way for people to continue the museum experience right into your store.

The second step is to create engagement for the customer on a different level. In our museum, the exhibits are on such a large scale, the store provides an opportunity to bring them down to a much smaller scale, which drives the training we do with our “retail educators.” Our goal is for the consumer to continue the learning process even after they left the museum.

The third critical step is to create avenues for communication with other museum departments. What we’re trying to do is to create partnerships within our museum. We work side-by-side with the marketing department to create buzz on the sales floor. We do tie-ins with specific exhibits and special events. A key element is on-site promotions. As a store operator, you need to walk the site and look for opportunities. Are there elements such as posters and displays marketing is already using that can be leveraged to help promote the store?

Another way to drive traffic into the store is with the operational decisions you make. For instance, at Kidspace, we have set up our entire operation to work on a single POS system. This way, the store can sell products, as well as memberships and admissions. It creates greater efficiencies and more opportunities to engage customers at every level.

Communicating what’s happening in the store and tying it to the rest of the museum has become fairly seamless for us. We’ve found a way to work within our institution’s organizational structure to make our store an important part of our museum’s overall operation.

Retail communications has allowed us to expand and improve our entire operation. It helped us to become important partners with every department in our museum, but it also forces us to evaluate our success in reinforcing our brand and mission.

Best of all, as you bolster your communications you also contribute greatly to the vitality of your store.

Susan Cardosi-Albert is Assistant Director of Operations at the Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena, California.  Sign up for her webinar on Museum Communications on September 9th.