Reader Profile: Misti Dullard
Name: Misti Dullard
Title: Marketing Manager
Property: Queen Victoria Market
Location: Melbourne, Australia
How long have you been at this property? Four and a half years
How many years of experience do you have in the retail industry? About eight years.
Which tools do you use to monitor the traffic on your market’s Website?
We use Google Analytics and receive a monthly report of traffic statistics.
How often do you review the site’s traffic?
We review at least on a monthly basis to compare with the previous month and see where our dips and peaks have been. The process is stepped up during a campaign.
How do you use this type of analysis to plan or manage the site’s content?
Being able to view where people are heading on the site (and where they are not heading), where they are spending more time, where they are leaving the site all helps determine the direction we take with future Website decisions and aligned advertising/marketing strategies.
Which type of content is viewed most often on your site? How do you turn that interest into more business for your market?
Details of our trading hours, our location etc. are always popular, as are our event pages and information about our offers. Because we know that people are interested in these areas, we also highlight them through other advertising and marketing mediums.
Do you normally do your online marketing work in-house or do you hire a Web development firm?
We have a Website development company which worked with us on building www.qvm.com.au, and it also provides site maintenance. However, the site was designed in a way that enables us to make the majority of changes and updates in-house. We are currently in stage II of our Website project with the end result intended to provide Queen Victoria Market patrons (and lovers of all things Markets in general) with an interactive, directional and informative experience to which they will want to keep coming back.
What is your primary goal this year?
To build on our current subscriber list (you can join up at www.qvm.com.au)! We have an e-newsletter that currently gets distributed to more than 7,000 subscribers and details everything from what’s happening at the Market and new product arrivals to what’s in season and trader tidbits. It’s very much about highlighting the Market as more than a shopping experience—it’s a lifestyle experience. And, of course, another big goal is to convert our Web traffic to foot traffic in our center.
What is your biggest challenge this year?
We are in a unique position of being both a retail center and a tourist attraction. Obviously, with the current economic crisis and competitors with much bigger budgets and marketing levies, it’s always a challenge to ensure that the Market remains a relevant part of people’s lives. We are very lucky that, given our 130-year history and the fact that many of our traders (over 800) are third and fourth-generation retailers, locals feel a passionate sense of ownership of the Market. This passion, together with the Market’s unique shopping experience, is what attracts tourists into the Market and seals Queen Victoria Market as a major tourism attraction for Victoria.
Can you offer one tip to other mall-marketing professionals?
Only that you cannot be afraid to try new things, monitor and use current trends to your advantage, and work with your community.
Thanks Misti!
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