Nothing Runs Like A Deere
by Jared Spool
It’s ironic that, while here attending the DUX 2005 conference on designing user experiences, I bump into an organization that has an amazing experience.
Deere & Co, which according to Yahoo, has a market cap of $15 billion, makes most of its money by selling tractors and harvesters. So, it’s ironic that they have a retail store right here on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, in the same block as my hotel.
What’s most amazing is that the store doesn’t sell a single tractor or harvester. (The clerks laughed when I asked if I could buy one.) Instead, they’ve created a huge market for clothing, toys, and other paraphanalia, such as light switch covers.
Could your business come out with a line of toys and make money selling them?
Published here on November 3, 2005.