We are living in an age when internet shopping has become the big thing in retail. Why shop door to door when you can buy literally anything you want online. It’s easier, faster, and sometimes cheaper as well. If you own a traditional brick and mortar retail store, your concern about this shift is warranted. However, all is not lost. There are numerous ways to compete and ensure your customer’s expectations are met.
A Clean and Tidy Environment
Cluttered shelves and stains on the floor or walls are not a good way to impress your customers. Not only does this reflect how much you care about your business, it can also be a health and safety hazard waiting to happen. Before you open each day, check every aspect of your store, and make sure each area is clean and tidy. During the day, ask your staff to keep on top of any problems. And hire a flooring company to ensure your floor is durable and safe to walk on. This is by far the most basic expectation your customers will have.
A Personalized Experience
Your customers may be a commodity to you, but they shouldn’t feel like it. Adding the personal touch is going to make them feel valued. Greet them with a smile when they enter the store. Get to know the names of regular customers and make an effort to remember them. If you store customer details, send them personalized ‘thank you notes’ along with online receipts. And train your staff to follow your good practice. Shopping online can be impersonal, so this is something you can do to stave off the Internet giants.
Value for Their Money
As we said earlier, your customers can purchase products cheaply online. Therefore, you need to operate a fair pricing policing. While you don’t want to undersell your product, you still need to be competitive. There are ways to convey value to your customer without offering huge discounts. Research other retailers as well, both online and off. Review their pricing strategies, and then follow suit in an effort to match them.
Less Waiting in the Queue
There is nothing worse than standing in a queue for long periods of time. Having more staff to deal with busy periods is one practical way to reduce this problem. In addition, utilizing point of sales systems will make the payment process faster. If you can’t reduce waiting times, at least make your customer’s time in the queue an interesting one. Encourage your staff to interact with your customers, holding a conversation or offering a product to try. You might even give out freebies or the occasional treat to thank your customers for their patience. Do anything, other than letting them stand and grow even more frustrated.
Finally
Failing to satisfy customer expectations will ultimately cost you money. Give your customers what they want, within reason of course, and then look for ways to give them a customer experience to talk about in a positive way.
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