Mantra 2 of 4=Make Shopping Easier
Think about your favourite place to shop for clothes. Mine is NEXT. It's not just because of their designs but it's a combination of things: pricing, quality, layout of their stores, return policy and more. In other words, I have many High Street choices for casual clothing but I repeatedly return to NEXT because they make shopping easy for me. And I pay them back with my customer loyalty and hard-earned pounds!
You must do the same in your shop, on two levels. First, take a critical look at your store through the eyes of a customer. Is the stand always well-stocked with an assortment of sizes and prices? Are all the items out on display dusted, well-organized and priced? Every one of these elements adds up to whether a customer is going to shop more often and spend bigger at your store. And you can control that environment.
Following up on last week's mantra about asking fewer questions, that's another way to make shopping easier for customers. Remember, instead of buying from an online source, direct shipper, or grocery store, they chose to visit you, the local expert. Make that shopping experience go more smoothly by LISTENING to customers, asking fewer questions and offering more suggestions and advice!
Once you adopt all the principles I'll be sharing over the coming months you'll notice more customers making comments like, "Thanks for all your help, this was so quick and easy!" We must say goodbye to era of numbly standing next to a customer while they try to pick and choose. We need to engage them and make shopping easier!
Article written by Tim Huckabee, FSC – FloralStrategies
