This document provides a business proposal for growing the women's fragrances business at a Nordstrom store. It outlines opportunities in several areas including daily operations, product placement, sales tracking, training, events, and vendor coordination. The goal is to increase customer satisfaction, sales growth, and operational excellence through initiatives such as assigning product ownership, implementing sales tracking and goal setting, providing product knowledge training, coordinating gifts with purchase, and hosting pop-up shops and sampling events.

1. Women’s Fragrances Business Proposal
Prepared by Patrick Caffery
Department Manager Ioana Mezei
Store Manager Trisha Smith
“A woman who doesn’t wear
perfume has no future” –Coco
Chanel

2. Introduction
Women’s Fragrances at Nordstrom La Cantera has
historically been a great volume driver for the store.
Between the price points and the customer demand
for the product, fragrances is essential to the success
of the Cosmetics department and therefore the
store in general.
The role of Business Manager of Women’s
Fragrances is to facilitate continued growth of this
business and ensure utmost customer satisfaction.
My proposal aims to identify opportunities and
propose solutions. Not all of the proposed solutions
will come to fruition, this presentation is an
exploration of what is possible in the business.
The ultimate goal of action taken from this proposal
will be, in order: customer satisfaction, growth in
sales, and operational excellence that contributes to
the overall productivity of the company while
adhering to the Nordstrom vision.

3. Overview
This proposal will be divided into categories
pertinent to each realm of the business
• Daily
• Product availability
• Product placement
• Operations
• Hourly sales tracking
• Training
• Service standards
• Thank you cards
• Sample follow-ups
• Product knowledge
• Product Info Cards
• Events
• GWP
• Vendor Coordination
• Paraffin Spa
• Pop-up Shop

4. Daily Business
Product Availability
• I will open up regular communication with buyers and
utilize it on a regular basis to ensure we have the right
product at the right time
• An Out of Stock list as well as a Customer Request list will be
implemented in order to track customer needs, prevent
missed sales opportunities and follow up with customers
when we receive shipment
• Damages will be processed weekly in order to free up
open-to-buy for the department so replenishment will
arrive quicker

5. Daily Business
Product Placement
The arrangement of products on the salesfloor can
have an extreme impact on customer buying habits.
Though a lot of these decisions are made
corporately or through vendor contract, I would
suggest
• Top selling fragrances such as Angel, Alien,
Flowerbomb, Chanel and Tory Burch should be placed
further away from the main traffic areas as they are
have an established customer base and customers
will seek them out
• New fragrances should always take priority,
promoting a sense of freshness to the department
• Staff favorites should be placed on eye-level shelves
and promoted more because we sell what we love
• Grouping fragrances by scent family instead of vendor
to easily pinpoint a customer preference and have all
possibilities close at hand

6. Daily Business
Operations
Ownership greatly encourages motivation to excel.
As such, each member of the department will be
assigned an Area of Responsibility, usually a group of
lines in a certain section of the department. The
assigned salesperson will be in charge of ensuring:
• Shelves are clean, orderly and dusted
• All units of stock are represented with minimal back stock
• Testers are clean, in good condition and correctly priced
• Fragrance strips, sample containers and cards are
appropriately stocked
• Low stock or out of stock items are reported to business
manager
Sections will be evaluated on Tidy Tuesday of each
week using a simple scorecard. Follow-up
conversations will occur each week after the scoring
to ensure accountability.

7. Daily Business
Hourly Sales Tracking
A weekly business planner will be completed
previous to the start of each week
• The weekly planning sheet will auto-populate figures
into a daily spreadsheet which breaks down goals by
hour
• Tracking of sales versus goal comparison will be done
using the Flash Sales Report function on the POS
• The entire sales team will know exactly what the
department goal is, how close to it we are and what
sales must be generated to stay on track
• Again the ownership piece comes into play. Everyone on
the team wants to make the day, this breaks it down
into tangible and realistic units based on price point

8. Daily Business
Service Standards
At Nordstrom we pride ourselves on our superior
customer service and with this plan, our service will
be elevated to the highest degree.
As the business manager of Women’s Fragrances, I
would trust and empower my sales team to make
their own decisions regarding their business. My
ultimate goal is to provide them with the resources
and structure that they need in order to grow and
maintain that business.
Ultimately the only things I ask of my sales staff is to:
• Always use your best judgement in any situation
• Please write at least 3 Thank You cards per week
• Utilize our store’s free standard shipping and follow up
when sampling out fragrances
• Take advantage of product knowledge provided in order to
give your customer the service they deserve
• Utilize Personal Book to book appointments during events
to maximize business

9. Daily Business
Thank You Cards
One of the many points of difference a customer
may experience while shopping at Nordstrom is our
follow up, specifically thanking the customer for
their business.
• Nordstrom is one of the only retailers that empowers
employees to write a hand-written thank you card to
customers
• Sometimes overlooked or forgotten, a Thank You card
reminds a customer that they are special, their business is
appreciated and encourages a lasting relationship with that
customer
• Utilizing Personal Book and their growing outreach to new
customers, I would ask that my sales team commit to
writing at least three thank you notes a week

10. Daily Business
Sample Follow-Ups
Nordstrom is a sought after retailer due to our
liberal fragrance sample program, but opportunities
exist in the follow-up after these samples are
distributed
• Similar to sample tracking reserved for the ambassador
lines, fragrances will start recording customer data for
follow-up utilizing Personal Book
• Notations will be made of what fragrances the customer is
sampling, when and how to follow up with them (phone,
email, NEXT App, etc)
• With this program, the customer can sample multiple
fragrances, decide which one they want and have it
shipped directly to them without another visit to the store
• Even if only one in five customers contacted responds by
purchasing a fragrance this would equal exponential growth
in volume

11. Daily Business
Product Knowledge
Fragrance knowledge states that the maximum
number of scents a person can adequately
experience is three, after that the olfactory senses
become overwhelmed. In my experience giving a
customer too many options also overwhelms them.
This is why product knowledge is so important, we
have to give the customer correct suggestions as
quickly as possible.
• On rotation, a fragrance of the week will allow focus on
getting to know one fragrance in depth
• Salespeople should be the expert on the fragrances under
their Area of Responsibility
• Cards with information about all the fragrances in the
department will be kept in the drawer directly below them
to provide easy access to olfactory notes, prices and any
other pertinent information

12. Events
Gifts With Purchase
We are fortunate in fragrances to receive support
from our vendors in the form of gifts with purchase.
Though these posess no retail value, they are
essential to growing our business
• GWPs should be kept in a single area in the fragrance
cage with a close inventory on them to ensure they
are being put to proper use
• With the weekly business planner, there will also be
an up to date GWP overview chart to let sales staff
know what current offers we have and the minimum
purchase required for the GWPs
• This information will also be accessible to non-
fragrance selling employees which will create a more
uniform customer experience no matter who that
customer chooses to shop with

13. Events
Vendor Coordination
While freelance support is always appreciated it
must be regulated to ensure maximum efficiency
and minimal customer interference
• Freelancers will need to schedule their hours with the
Business manager a week ahead of time
• No more than 3 freelancers will be present at any
given time unless there is a special event or
circumstance
• The main purpose of freelancers should be to grow
business that would not normally be generated by
walk-up or appointment business as such they would
be zoned along the hard-aisle or within the cosmetics
department, not just within the fragrance section

14. Events
Paraffin Spa Weekend
$126 + $153
$279
An event to create buzz around fragrances and
incorporate complimentary crèmes and lotions into
purchases while delivering an unexpected
pampering to customers
• With the purchase of a full size fragrance and the
complimentary lotion or crème the customer will
receive a 15-20 minute Paraffin hand dip treatment
• Customers could book appointments in advance by
putting the products on their wish list
• The event could be setup on the sales floor to excite
customers or in the spa room for a relaxing experience
• Freelance support will be utilized in order to perform
the actual treatment, training is simple and can be done
in less that 15 minutes
• The actual paraffin bath machines can cost around $150
for a professional grade but after that the only cost
would be for wax and gloves which are very inexpensive

15. Events
Pop-Up Shop
Up Escalator
Down Escalator
The goal of the Pop-Up shop is to introduce
customers to fragrance in a neutral zone of the
store, therefore capturing customers that may not
have ventured into the cosmetics department
• The shop would be setup on a prime weekend when
it can be approved by store management
• Tables would be setup featuring a select number of
new, top selling or vendor supported fragrances
• A temporary register and a limited amount of stock
will be setup in the shop to accomidate quick
transactions
• We would partner with visual to incorporate fresh-cut
flowers to create a boutique feel
• Simple refreshements such as bottled sparkling water
will be distributed for customer enjoyment
Chairs

16. About Me
Hired in 2003 at age 17, one could say that I grew up under the
Nordstrom philosophy of customer service. Raised in Portland, OR
(very close to the Seattle headquarters). Nordstrom was always a
beacon of retail excellence. Over my three years as an employee of
the company I learned and came to appreciate the Nordstrom
legend.
Though I left the company in 2006, I never forgot what I learned or
what Nordstrom represents to our customers and to myself.
Before rejoining Nordstrom at the San Antonio store, I had gained
experience with many retail companies. My most recent career
experience was at the specialty retailer Gap, where I started as an
assistant store manager in charge of customer experience. Through
my performance I was appointed as acting Store Manager for Q4 of
2013, the busiest season in retail, during which more than half of the
annual revenue is generated. This made me solely responsible for a
store of over 3 million dollars of volume and approximately 30
employees.
Store #25 - 2003

17. Summary
With store #732 passing it’s 10 year anniversary, there’s
no better time to re-establish ourselves as the
authority in women’s fragrances here in San Antonio.
Our customer service makes us stand out among the
competition and we should utilize that to enhance our
growth.
It’s time to up our game, to take our customer’s
experience from satisfactory to delightful. We have an
advantage in our territory of still having new-to-
Nordstrom customers and it’s time we captivated them
with our exceptional ability to give our customer what
they want in a way that makes us memorable.
As Women’s Fragrance Business Manager, I can deliver
these promises. I will lead my sales team to win
through hard work, innovation and respect. I will give
them the support and direction they need to be the
key volume driver that fragrances should be. Above all I
will celebrate our collective success in customer
satisfaction, sales growth and operational excellence.
“The best service we can give our customers is to sell them
something. Invariably, the happy ones have packages under
their arms. Let’s make everyone happy.”- Mr. Bruce