Have you ever looked at the humble shopping trolley?
I mean really looked at it and wondered "who the heck invented it"?
Yes, I know shopping is my least favourite contact sport and I will do
anything to avoid grocery shopping, which is why one day I was pondering
this question while I studiously avoided thinking about the wonky
wheels and while dodging the local kids who were treating the shopping
aisles like a roller derby.
So I went hunting... and discovered a brilliant book by Rudolph Brash
called "A Bee in Your Bonnet" This quirky little book covers the history
and meaning of a whole litany of useless phrases as well as useful
information about the inventor of many modern day marvels... including
the shopping trolley.
Now I know you are dying to find out who to thank (blame) for the
shopping trolley - it was Sylvan Goldman in the 1930's. Mr Goldman owned
a supermarket in Oklahoma City and figured that people only ever bought
as much as they could carry in their shopping bag. He thought that if
he could make it easier for people to carry more, they would buy more,
so converted a folding chair by adding wheels and a basket and hey
presto - the shopping trolley was born... And people ignored it in
droves.
Apparently people were afraid to use the new fangled invention - they
thought they would run into things. Undeterred, Mr Goldman thought for
many a long night on how to get people to use them. So what did he do to
get over people's fears?
1) He hired a pretty girl to hand people a trolley the moment they entered the store instead of the older shopping baskets
2) He advertised the new invention widely in the papers so the early adopters would know about it
3) And (drumroll please) he hired actors to smilingly wheel around fully laden trolleys through the shop and carpark
Mr Goldman went on to patent the idea and died in 1984 a multi-millionaire - all from the one simple idea.
What can you learn from the humble shopping trolley?
A good idea is not going to make you money unless people want it and use it.
There's ways around many problems if you are creative enough.
People value the opinion of other people - if they see other people enjoying your product it makes them more willing to try.
You need to tell people about your creations - positive press is still important.
Sex sells
It's good to see modern day supermarkets going back to the basics. We
are all now used to the massive trolleys - and until recently people
only had the choice of the behemoth trolleys or a small red basket. Note
the introduction of a range of smaller trolleys that bridge the gap.
People have taken to them in droves and average basket sale has
increased as a result. Everything old is new again!