How to Ensure Customers Feel Valued
This is a contributed post and may contain affiliate links. The thoughts and ideas expressed may not be exactly what the writer Scott Sery believes. But he did read it, and signed off on it, so it’s at least pretty close.
You’ll often hear people talking about the rise of online shopping as it’s blown in-person shopping out of the water. But not only is that not true, it’s not even close to being true. Online shopping accounts for only 15% of all sales, which means, yep, brick-and-mortar stores are very much here to stay.
Still, retail stores, especially smaller ones, still have to work hard to get their slice of the retail pie. One effective way to increase sales is to work on enhancing the customer’s experience. In this post, we’ll run through some effective ways that brick-and-mortar stores can elevate customer satisfaction and ultimately boost sales.
Remember Your Customers
Online stores are good at addressing their customers by name, but that’s just data memory. Your customers will be genuinely impressed if you remember their details, be it their previous orders, their names, or products they might be interested in. This works because, well, people like to feel valued!
You can encourage your staff to mention the personal details they remember about their customers. It’s an easy, honest way to show your appreciation.
Offer Freebies
Businesses have been offering freebies for a long old time, and there’s a simple reason why: they work! Getting something for nothing is a guaranteed way to put a smile on a person’s face, and it can have a real impact on the long-term success of your business, too. Your customers will be more likely to show loyalty to your business if you’ve treated them well.
The type of freebies you give your customers will depend on the type of business that you run. It might be a small discount that you give “just because,” or maybe it’s a sample of a new product. So long as it’s something that your customers genuinely want, it’ll do the trick.
Offer Delivery/Pick Up
Going the extra mile — literally — is an effective way to enhance customer satisfaction. By offering delivery for difficult-to-transport items, you’ll be making the lives of your customers easier, and also make it more likely that they’ll buy from you in the future. After all, people are more likely to buy when there are zero pain points. If you don’t currently have a van to make deliveries, then look at choosing the right box trailer for your business. That’ll allow you to make local deliveries using your regular vehicle. As well as making deliveries, you can allow customers to create and pay for orders online, and then simply prepare the product for them to pick up in-store.
An Inviting Atmosphere
Finally, don’t underestimate the power of putting together an inviting atmosphere. That process involves going beyond simply decorating the space. In addition, look at offering juice, tea, coffee, and generally making the store an enjoyable place to be. Even things like making a bathroom available is something that your customers will appreciate! And remember, the more time they spend in your store, the more likely it is that they’ll make a higher-value purchase.