The authors were kind enough to give Business Expert Press a dual interview so we could get into their minds and find out a bit about their process, both in terms of their co-writing and their forays into the use of social media to self-promote their wonderful book.
Tell us a bit about yourselves!
Pat: I am a Professor of Retailing at Michigan State University. I have been involved in retail and consumer research for the past 26 years.
Stella: I am an Australian researcher and teacher in a Graduate Business School. I am fascinated by retail in our society.
Can you briefly tell us what your book is all about and why we should read it?
Pat: Our book is about what shopping means to women, what motivates them to shop, what influences them when they shop and what they love and hate about shopping. We provide a brief history of women and their influence in the evolution of the retail industry as we know it today. At the end of the book, we discuss how retail firms can use the knowledge from our book to do a better job of meeting the needs of their women customers. You should read this book because it is interesting! Everyone shops and we believe that all of our readers will be able to see themselves in this book.
Stella: the history of retail is the history of contemporary society. Retail reflects changes in our society. Women are the power house of retail, they are the spenders. Readers of this book will have a view of how women see themselves when they are shopping; what shopping means to them; to their relationships with family and friends and how shopping interacts with their identity.
What are the top trends in your area(s)?
Pat: increasing use of online shopping and mobile marketing, and the importance of social media in building a retail brand.
Stella:
• Globalization of the industry is seen in mall design, brands, store formats.
• Shopping as an integral part of the lives of many – ie. Japan
• The increasing number of men who shop and enjoy it
• Nostalgia and cocooning in response to an uncertain world leading to new retail categories i.e do it yourself, make it yourself
What do you like best about using e-books? Do you own an e-book reader?
Pat: I do not own an e-book reader. If I purchased one, it would probably be the Nook because you can download library books to it.
Stella: I love being able to go into the online library and browse through a book using the hyperlinks in the table of contents. It is much like browsing through the physical stacks. Then it is great to have the opportunity to download the book. I enjoy books as they give the opportunity to fully explore a topic rather than the abbreviated and highly focused content of a journal article. I have a Kobo e-book reader that was given to me as a present. It is a great entry level device.
What made you decide to publish with Business Expert Press?
Pat: BEP demonstrated a strong interest in our topic (women and shopping), David Parker [publisher] and Naresh Malhotra [editor] were so easy to work with and were patient with all of my “ novice author” questions. It has been an enjoyable experience working with BEP.
Stella: Pat has said it all – great to work with and very quick to respond.
What prompted you to write this book?
We were interested in telling women’ s “ stories” about their shopping experiences. Since women are driving economic force for the retail industry, it is important to understand what they want from the shopping experience and to what extent their needs are being met by today’ s retailers.
What were your favorite business courses when you were in school?
Pat: I enjoyed marketing and retail merchandising.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
Pat: I am an avid reader and enjoy traveling.
Stella: anything but go shopping! I don’ t like shopping at all.
What was the best non-business book you read recently?
Pat: The Girl Who Played with Fire (by Stieg Larsson)
Stella: The Secret River (by Kate Grenville)
How long did the process of writing the book take you?
We spent about 6 months completing the interviews. Writing and editing the book took about 9 months.
Did the collaboration make the process easier or harder, do you think?
Pat: For me, collaboration made the process easier because Stella and I bring different skill sets to the table. Stella is a more creative thinker and writer than I am. She is able to see the “big picture” and had a vision for where the book needed to go. I am very organized and have a keen sense of sequencing and am able to see how things fit together. We had a lot of fun writing our book. It was a labor of love.
Stella: Pat’ s organizational skills and diligent and thorough knowledge of the data made the book possible.
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