The President of the Saint Lucia Craft and Dry Goods Vendors Association, Peter ‘Ras Ipa’ Isaac, has called on members to be innovative and ‘think outside the box‘ to improve their business.
The admonition came as the association prepared to host its 29th biennial conference on Sunday at the Entrepot Human Resource Centre.
“Vendors have to start to think outside the box because what is going on now, the cruise ship is now the experience, and people are not going on a cruise because of a particular Island,” Isaac stated.
He observed that Saint Lucia is usually at the end of the chain of Islands the vessels visit.
Isaac also noted that most cruise passengers do not disembark because the vessels have much to offer, including duty-free items, entertainment and food.
He explained that about sixty percent of cruise passengers who disembark go on tours since Saint Lucia is more of a sightseeing than a shopping destination.
As a result, the Vendors Association President told St. Lucia Times members, especially those wholly dependent on the tourism industry, need to think hard about the items they sell.
In addition, Isaac spoke of the need for vendors to introduce digital point-of-sale devices, enabling potential buyers to pay for items with a debit or credit card.
“People are not traveling with cash these days,” he explained, adding that vendors who cannot accept ‘plastic’ would lose out.
“We have an arrangement with the Bank of Saint Lucia where there is a concession in place especially for vendors, particularly if their business is registered,” Isaac stated regarding the point-of-sale devices.
He revealed that visitors often leave the Vendors Arcade in Castries without buying an item because the seller has no point-of-sale device.
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