Do you own your own retail store? Are you hoping that 2021 is the year you are able to grow your customer base, increase sales, and really start hitting those exciting milestones that you laid out for the company? Obviously, there is a lot of planning that goes into running a successful retail store, but there’s also the customer experience. A negative customer experience is hard to erase, and likely not something you can come back from. All it takes is for that one customer to then tell their circle of friends about their experience, and suddenly you’re missing out on a number of potential future customers. So, what’s the solution?
No matter what your store sells, the top priority should always be providing an excellent customer experience from start to finish. This can be a pretty involved task and one that you need to stay on top of at all times. Let’s take a look at a few ways in which you can enhance the customer experience in your retail store in 2021 and moving forward.
Hire the Right Staff for the Job
First off, you need to be sure that you’re staffing your store with the right people for the job. This means they have the necessary experience, training, and product knowledge to answer the questions that customers have. Even if employees lack in product knowledge and training, this is something you can quickly remedy by offering ample training. This could be done through product knowledge seminars, guide books, and training by other more experience staff members.
Besides the knowledge and experience, they also need to have excellent customer service skills. Most people are well aware of just how challenging it can be to work in a retail environment. Those that succeed tend to have excellent people skills and communication skills. They are approachable and friendly, and have a desire to help others.
The In-Store Experience Has to Be Unique
In order to stand out from the competition that exists in pretty much every retail industry, you’ll also need to come up with something unique and memorable when it comes to the in-store experience. When customers walk in, they need to recognize that your store looks different, feels different, and stands out from others they have been in. This helps to create brand awareness, which then helps to build your customer base.
Unique experiences can include such things as the way merchandise is displayed, the décor of the store, the music and atmosphere, the store layout, product demonstrations and samples, a store greeter, unique carts or bags to use while shopping, and so forth.
Ensure You Offer Multiple Methods of Payment
When it comes to payment for the goods customers are purchasing, they need to be offered as many different types of payment options as possible. The goal should be to make the payment process smooth, fast, convenient, and secure.
Looking at statistics, debit card processing should be an absolute must-have in your retail store. In 2020 alone, 29% of payments in the U.S. were made by debit cards. Customers expect this form of payment to be offered and, without it, you may actually be missing out on sales opportunities.
You can learn more about the benefits of offering debit cards as a form of payment, as well as how to set it up in your business with this guide to debit card processing from Nada Payments. It takes an in-depth look at how exactly merchants can use debit card processing, what the fees are like, the sort of technology and equipment needed on your end to get set up, and more. No matter the size of your retail business, this guide can help lay out all the necessary steps and information.
Of course, you will want to offer more than just debit cards as a method of payment. Also coming in top of the list for the most popular forms of payment are cash and credit cards. Lesser used ones, but still as important, are store issued gift cards, pre-paid cards, and a digital/mobile wallet.
Is Your Store Kid-Friendly?
Here’s a question that many retailers don’t bother to ask, but the answer can have a huge impact. Even if you don’t sell items meant for kids, it’s important to think about ways to make your store kid-friendly. Doing this will attract parents to come inside, and once they see how kid-friendly it is, they will be more likely to take their time browsing the products. This works in your favor, as you want to keep them in the store for as long as possible.
Kid-friendly features can include sitting areas for the kids (kid-sized tables) complete with coloring books and puzzles, a giant chalkboard they can draw on, an in-store movie viewing area, a video gaming area, and even snacks for them to enjoy.
What About the Products You Are Selling?
Your inventory also plays a huge role in the customer experience. Not only does it come down to the actual products you are selling, but also whether you have a good selection of choices in terms of sizing, colors, and so forth. If stock is constantly sold-out, customers will start to get frustrated and may end up shopping elsewhere.
It’s a fine balance to achieve as you never want to carry too much inventory at once, but not having enough also causes a fair number of problems. This is why it’s so important to be tracking sales so you can identify trends, and of course keep accurate and up-to-date inventory at all times. There are plenty of software solutions that can prove to be extremely useful, many of which can generate stats, data, and charts to shed more light on your sales and inventory numbers.
Offer a Customer Loyalty Program
Then there are customer loyalty programs, which aren’t a new concept but they aren’t always embraced as often as they could be. A customer loyalty program is all about providing a VIP experience, making them feel important and appreciated, and giving them a reason to continue to make purchases at your store.
You can create any type of loyalty program you want, but remember that it needs to be easy to understand, simple to enroll in, and the rewards and milestones need to be achievable.
You’ll want to step into the shoes of your customers and ask yourself what would make you happy, and what would seem like a reward to you if you were a shopper at the store? This can include cash or percentage discounts off merchandise, exclusive deals, first-peak at new launches, special shopping dates closing the store to other customers, referral discounts, cash back programs, and so much more.
Creating the Kind of Experience That is Exceptional
At the end of the day, no matter how great the products are that you’re selling, the fact is that the retail industry is incredibly competitive and it can be very hard to stand out. It helps if you can find a niche of course, and set yourself up as an industry expert, but outside of that it often comes down to the customer experience. This can prove to be even more important than pricing and product selection.
