Referencing diverse examples such as Leonardo da Vinci, McDonald's and American Girls dolls, CBA consultant Steve Miller urged Christian retailers to develop skills in "stealing genius," yesterday.

By looking at best practices developed by market leaders in other industries, stores could come up with ways to create the kind of powerful customer experience that will bond shoppers in long-term relationships with their operations, he said in a special presentation to a select small group.

Miller's session, attended by less than 20 retailers and suppliers, was a follow-up to the CBA Industry Conference that he helped lead in Indianapolis in January. That event, which drew around 190 participants, had identified key issues of concern in the industry and emphasized the importance of creating good consumer experiences, and promised follow-up resources to help attendees put into practice things they discussed.

Miller expressed disappointment at yesterday's small turnout for the Industry Conference Alumni Luncheon and Workshop and went on to present details of research he had carried out, which found that 21% of the factors involved in consumers' purchasing decisions were based on their experience in the store, not the product of the process of buying it. It was "the thing that separates people," whether a small mom-and-pop retail outlet or a multimillion-dollar online company.

Welcoming attendees to the lunch that preceded Miller's presentation, CBA President Bill Anderson referred to the importance of "continuing the conversations and thinking and processes that we began in Indianapolis." The CBA Industry Conference, to be repeated next year, replaced the trade association's January Expo, scrapped after falling attendance.

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