As we are witnessing an amazing increase in the amount of shopping done online, without paying a visit to a traditional brick-and-mortar retail, it is only logical to predict a gloomy future for such establishments. More and more people are finding the benefits of online purchase much more convenient and preferable to whatever it is that traditional shops offer.
Does that mean that at some point in not so distant future retail shops will be hard to come by? Perhaps. Is that inevitable? No, not at all. There are some features of the whole experience (and that is the key word here) related to visiting a shop and negotiating your purchase with a shop assistant directly that can prove to be your unique selling proposition. Here are some of those potentially powerful tools.
Personalised Service
A lot of people still prefer being greeted and asked, “How may I help you?”. That personal touch can often make a world of difference in terms of your customer’s experience and willingness to spend money at your shop. This means that every person who has contact with customers must be properly trained to provide the best possible customer care and experience. Unfortunately, social skills are something that not everyone will excel at, so try to recruit those who already have them and help them hone those skills.
Pleasure for All Senses
The location should be visually appealing to the type of customers you’re targeting. Sounds, or lack thereof, should also be carefully monitored to provide a pleasurable shopping experience. Also, you can choose one of the scents that are most popular at shops and which have been reported to positively affect customers’ mood. Finally, this is a segment where you have to work closely with the person who is in charge of store design, since it might be necessary to get rid of redundant items or introduce some, such as comfortable chairs or sofas for people to get some rest.
Fun and Entertainment
People now expect some sort of events and happenings taking place at shops or somewhere near. Depending on the type of business you run, there could be makeover sessions at beauty parlours, book readings at bookstores, tasting sessions at food shops, etc. The bottom line is that you should target not only your potential customers, but also those in tow. So, think about what might be attractive to children, for example, since they are likely to be with their parents, who might be your target group.
Delivery
You’re not Amazon and you are unlikely to beat them at their own game, but you too can provide excellent delivery service that wouldn’t break a bank, but would guarantee instant delivery. For this you have to turn to modern technology and software such as Instatruck app, which would have a truck already on the way to take the product(s) bought and deliver them to customer’s home while they are still finalising their purchase.
Follow the Trends
You may not be able to utilise all the tools available to big retail chains when it comes to using various data to personalise the sales experience, but you can be very successful at that as well. You most definitely need to make sure Google recognises your presence and explore the opportunities provided by geofencing.
As you can see, there are still so many things you can do not only to keep your store alive, but to actually help it grow. Naturally, the obstacles faced nowadays are making your job extremely difficult, but you still have the upper hand in so many aspects. If you look at the whole process from the point of view of a customer and treat every aspect of this process as parts of one complex experience, you’ll most definitely be on the right track.
