With the explosion of online shopping and advancements in delivery making shopping online even more convenient and accessible, it’s becoming harder and harder to bring shoppers into physical retail spaces. We discuss how you can delight your customers through the in-store experience you provide.
Start with customer service standards
If staff are happy and engaged, the customer will feel welcome and assured that if they need any help, they can easily approach a member of the team. Nothing is more off-putting in retail than seeing a disgruntled workforce who are reluctant to be there, so keeping staff challenged and rewarded is key.
Find a way to improve the speed of the customer experience. The appeal of online shopping comes predominantly from how quick and easy the process can be, so putting in place some helpful techniques from entrance to check-out can encourage customers to take the time to visit your store. Ensure products are neat, tidy and in categorical order to make for easy and efficient browsing.
Store signage, POS and window and floor decals can all be great tools that help to influence the customer journey, making it easier, more enjoyable, driving sales and increasing average transaction value.
Ask your customers what they want and how you can improve their experience, then take their suggestions on board and put them in place. You can do this by conducting surveys or simply asking at check-out if there is anything that could have been improved.
Offer a unique experience
Give your customer something they won’t be able to experience anywhere else. This can be interactive, informative or entertaining. If a customer can engage with your store it will make the experience memorable and as a result keep them coming back.
Why not add a service layer to products? Is there something more that could be done for your customers, such as repairs or refreshes? Go the extra mile and offer more than just a purchase, make it an investment, a souvenir of the experience with the store.
Keep décor fresh and current, make sure it fits with your brand identity and appeals to your key audience. The cleanliness and appearance of your store is paramount to bringing customers in and keeping them there.
Provide some entertainment
On busier days and during holiday and sales periods, time spent waiting in line can become long and tedious. Providing entertainment can help make this time go quicker for your customer. Installing a screen is a good way to attract attention from customers and gives you a further chance to advertise as they queue.
Make appropriate music choices that are in keeping with the tone of your brand. The choice of music you play in-store can largely affect the way customers purchase. Create an atmosphere that is suited to your brand and store identity and will encourage customers to buy into it.
Additionally, music played in retail stores has been proven to set the pace of the environment. According to DJS, 77% of retail businesses agreed that their staff are more productive when music is playing.
Host an event inside the store. Give people even more reason to visit and potentially attract a new audience too. Make it fit with your brand; if you sell beauty products, host a ‘pamper’ day where customers can come along and try your products, if you’re a spirit and wine specialist, host a wine tasting evening. There will be something you can do no matter your brand or product.
Going against the digital world
Finding a way to compete with online shopping is crucial. Schedule in-store only offers, competitions and sales that your customer would not get elsewhere – but communicate these across all of your marketing channels, from direct mail to digital marketing. Provide self-service desks, interactive product search and stock checking kiosks to improve the speed and efficiency of the shopping experience to match your digital checkout efficiency. Leverage your marketing channels in general – as much as possible to advertise why your store is worth visiting.
AG Retail are shop design and refit specialists. If you need help with marketing assets for your store, at AlphaGraphics, we specialise in helping retail businesses run end-to-end tailored marketing campaigns to improve lead generation and increase revenue. To find out more, visit: https://retail.alphagraphics.co.uk/
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