Page 228 - AmericasMart: Market Magazine July 2017
P. 228
CHRISTMASOLOGY
Understanding why multiple generations buy
AmericasMart.com
Barbe Jenkins-Gibson,
owner of Christmas Cottage in Lincoln City, Ore., understands the shifts in customer buying and shopping behavior better than many other retailers. She has a degree in sociology she’s been using to run her specialty retail business for 43 years.
“Every generation is different,” says Jenkins-Gibson, whose store is just
a few blocks from the beach on the Oregon Coast Highway. “We’re going through a bigger generational change right now than we have in a long time. Those who adjust will do fine. Those who don’t...”
Jenkins-Gibson lets her thought trail off, but it’s clear what she is saying. You don’t stay in business for more than four decades without being able to adapt
to the way customers shop. Christmas Cottage has been more susceptible to these changes than it seems. Lincoln City draws tourism traffic from all over
the West Coast, giving it a broad customer demographic.
GENERATIONAL INFLUENCES
Baby Boomers remain a significant portion of her customer base, and Jenkins-Gibson has spent years studying what drives them to buy Christmas decor.
“They are children of parents who went through the depression and were
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