Conventional grocery stores and big boxes are closing in, offering ever more organic, local and alternative foods. You can’t just write off such competition, nor can you beat them in pricing. What do you do?

The secret, says Rafael Mael, marketing strategist at Baltimore-based marketing firm Brand Launcher and keynote speaker at the Expo East Retailer Workshop, is to turn your customer base into your marketing team. “You want to make your current shoppers rave about you,” he says. “Show them you don’t take them coming in for granted.”

Know that one of your regulars likes a certain kind of product? When a new option in that category comes in, make sure you save one and offer it to him on the house. Just happen to remember a long-time customer’s birthday? Why not give her a complementary birthday treat from your in-store café. These are the first steps towards transforming these shoppers into a raving sales force; to learn how to finish the job, be sure to check out Mael’s presentation.

Day: Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Time: 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Room: 253B