A couple of weeks ago I met Bruce Poon Tip, Owner of G.A.P Adventures, The Great Adventure People. He was giving a luncheon keynote at a local business club. G.A.P Adventures, which Bruce founded in 1990, is widely regarded as the premier adventure travel group in the world. They have really come to define their category and as a result have been showered with too many awards and accolades to mention in this short blog.

Bruce made a point in his talk that really stuck with me. I think it’s something all businesses and particularly retail businesses should incorporate into their thinking. He told us that in developing G.A.P, he strived to make the time spent transporting people from one place to another a memorable part of the tour itself and not just a boring shuttle from points A to B, as it is on many tours.

So, on GAP tours it’s not unusual to find yourself riding on top of a bus through a busy street somewhere in the Middle East, racing along in a safari vehicle, or scooting around in a rickshaw. All forms of transportation are fun, unique and authentic to the locale. The point, is to make getting there as exciting as being there.

Now, take that idea to retail, where we tend to focus a lot on product, placement and price. Can you turn the ordinary in your store into the extraordinary? Can waiting in line at the checkout become a memorable part of the experience? Can finding what you’re looking for in the store become exciting, informative or fun? Can simple things like your in-store music, your staff uniforms, your shopping bags actually add to the excitement of your store and make being there a rush? The answer in all cases is yes. You just need to insist on it and begin to make the right changes one at a time.

Make your store an adventure and you, just like G.A.P, will leave customers with truly memorable experiences!