From “lamp supplies” to “finials”

Grandma is *very* into antiques. So much so, that she loves to fix and switch things around (now some of you know where I get it from.) I was over at Gram’s and she says, she needs one of “theses.” She gives me a piece that goes on top of a lamp  to secure the shade in place. At that point, I didn’t know what to call it. I asked her if I could borrow it to ask around so that I could find the right piece and she agreed.

So before going on an “all borough scavenger hunt” , I decided to start online.  I went to a search engine and typed “lamp supplies.”  The results that came up were not specific enough, so I then typed in “lamp nut.”

This last query led me to a store in Little Italy  that had a webpage describing “finials.”  They say that a lamp is not complete without a finial.

I did tell the store owner that I found the store online.  He said that it was nice to know that the investment was paying off.

Tip to local retailers: Ask new customers how they found out about your store. It will give insight into your marketing and then you will be able to make informed decisions  about upcoming marketing plans.

The moral of this article is that advertisers have one vocabulary and the customer has another.  Make an effort to communicate in the customer’s language. That will not only translate into revenue, but it will give you an opportunity to educate the customer as well.