How David Jones can restore its dignity
Now that some of the dust has settled on the $37million bombshell that was lobbed by Kristy-Fraser-Kirk’s legal team into the David Jones empire last week, , the company has the best opportunity to stop selling to women and start connecting with them.
David Jones has been masterful at presenting a polished, stylish face to its ‘stakeholders’: customers, shareholders, suppliers and media. Many have bought into this, believing that this ‘persona’ was in fact real, a true reflection of the heart and soul of the business .
Now we know differently, that the soul of the David Jones is very similar to that of any other Australian monocultural business run by middle-aged, white, Anglo-Saxon men. We know that, by the nature of their devotion to fiscal performance and ambition, these men (and some women who have adapted to this environment), are terribly disconnected from the female market and workforce which they are ironically charged with serving.
The impact of this disconnection was highlighted in the the global Report ‘What Women Want’ published in late 2009, detailing women’s disillusion with corporate brands. The research was conducted by The Boston Consulting Group, a leading global advisor on business strategy.
This is not a criticism of David Jones, but an observation born from the decades I have spent studying and working within the Australian retail landscape. It’s also a cry I hear daily from women who feel many Australian retailers hold them in low esteem.
I don’t want to add any further to the humiliation that the board, management and staff of David Jones are presently experiencing. But, I would like to suggest a path forward for this retailer that will restore its dignity in the minds of our community and give them the best chance of ensuring they lead by example.
This path is not original, one of the world’s most successful retailers, Best Buy has already shown them how. By making a commitment, Best Buy harnessed the power of its sizeable female workforce to carve a new culture which could only be described as ‘gender intelligent’.
Instead of targeting women purely as sources of revenue, this model embraces and honours their contribution and gives them permission to organically mould and influence their business footprint.
All this from a retailer who sells TVs and computers. But as a result, Best Buy’s revenue was lifted by US$4.4 billion from female customers over four years.
We can only imagine how David Jones could transcend its present difficult circumstances, if it had the willingness and courage to look deep into its organization to find the female influencers and harness their power to build a new business out of the rubble, and heal the old one as well.
Claire has developed a program which enables business executives to learn how to create gender intelligent cultures that lead to success. To hear Claire present her Seven Steps to Connecting to Women click here.
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