Here’s Why You Should Be Experimenting Like Crazy in Your Business

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting new results.” I’ve heard this said so many times, it’s almost cliché (you probably have, too). But that makes it no less true.

If you’re an INSTORE reader, you’ve probably tried out an idea or two from our magazine in your store over the years — maybe even more than a few. So you’re not an “insane” retailer. But you should definitely continue to experiment. In fact, the top companies in the world strive to run thousands of experiments each year. FAST COMPANY reports that Google and Procter & Gamble run more than 7,000 experiments per year each and Amazon nearly 2,000. Amazon chief Jeff Bezos has said, “Our success at Amazon is a function of how many experiments we do per year, per month, per week, per day.”

With that in mind, our lead story, appropriately entitled “Go Big or Go Home,” suggests 20 experiments you can try to spur business to new heights (and another dozen ideas available online at instoremag.com).

Here at SmartWork Media, we don’t just preach it — we practice it. After all, we’ve recently launched INVISION for eyecare providers, and followed that up last year with Pets+ for pet store owners. We’ve even run successful experiments, like INDESIGN and the SMART Jewelry Show, from which we later decided to move on.

There’s no shame in choosing not to continue an experiment. But there is danger in not experimenting at all. To quote another (true) cliché, “If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.”

And who knows: your next “insane” experiment just may be the one that makes 2018 your best year yet!