It is tougher than ever before to even get customers into your shop nevermind actually leaving having bought something. For people to leave with your products they will need to have felt comfortable, wanted and satisfied as customers. To assure people return to your retail shop time and again you need to create the best customer experience possible for the customer.
Whether you are struggling with that right now or are just planning ahead for future business plans, you are going to want to know exactly what to do to not only retain current customers but also attract new customers. Luckily for you, we have compiled a list of how to improve customer experience in retail stores to help your business blossom in a very tough and expansive market.
- Make it an immersive shopping experience
When it comes to shopping, the customer wants to be made to feel wanted and intrigued. By allowing your floor space in the retail store to create the warmest and most enticing atmosphere available, combined with the notion of an immersive experience, you are bound to retain and attract customers consistently. Putting thought into the design of the shop allows for great quirky ideas that will attract customers – the likes of IKEA with their infamous one way system.
Not only does the design matter, so does the aesthetic within the shop. There’s nothing worse than not being able to see products the shop offers or being put off the products by the aesthetic of the shop. It’s also worthy of considering music choice and technological use throughout the store to enhance the customers experience generally.
Finally, personalisation of your product adds an immense scope to your product. I’m not saying that you need to be as customised as The Engraving People, offering custom signs and the likes, but appealing to lesser groups of people can sometimes be of benefit as it makes the customer feel more special. By remaining consistent and solid with your shopping experience it enhances your brand, allows for a creation of a good mood for everyone in the shop and also means that the experience is unique. A unique experience is a memorable one.
- Satisfied employees = Satisfied customers
There’s nothing worse than walking into a shop and looking at a bunch of staff working who look like they would rather fulfill a life sentence than be working there. Albeit, working in retail can be tough (especially at holiday times), but too often are staff treated poorly and it is reflected. By satisfying your employees you provide a better atmosphere in the store and allow for a reflection of the brand onto customers in a much better light.
Employees after all are the face of the business and their actions are pivotal in providing that all important customer experience. Invest in your staff team, reward them for a job well done and keep on top of the harmony between employees. By satisfying your employees you by proxy satisfy the customers more.
- Improve speed and reduce friction
Improving the seamless nature of your shop is a great way of improving customer experience. Reducing friction in the path-to-purchase is pivotal in securing customer payments. You want to make it as easy as possible for a customer to choose a product and leave the door quickly having paid for the product. This is essentially what online stores offer customers and is often the reason it is preferred to retail stores.
Speed is also a major player in why onliner stores are dominating a market and leaving retail stores in the dust. It’s so easy and so quick to shop online. For retail shops to keep up they need to increase their speed, both literally and metaphorically. This means making a streamlined and seamless shopping process which appeals to the fast paced and immediacy of modern day living.
Whilst there is without a doubt, more ways to improve customer experience in retail stores, these top tips are a handy place to start. Using these methods of improvement should help to aid the shopping experience that you can offer customers and ultimately improve sales and grow your business.