For any company, the customer is king or queen. However, with endless options available to buyers, it is becoming harder and harder for retailers to attract them.
Therefore, to maintain a sustainable business, it is important that shops go beyond the act of merely selling products and focus on creating memorable experiences for their patrons that will keep people coming back. But how do you do this?
Well, in this article, we will explore ten retail strategies that businesses can use to enhance their customer’s levels of satisfaction and turn them into lifetime buyers. Adopt any or all of these approaches, and you should find your retail operation benefiting from increased sales, more rapid product turnover and a general improvement overall.
1. Offer Outstanding Customer Service
The first thing any business should focus on is offering outstanding service to their customers because if your company gets known for providing it, you are sure to benefit from word of mouth. Conversely, if your business gets a reputation for poor customer service, this could negatively impact how many people buy from you.
For this reason alone, it is important to train your staff to provide exceptional service, both in-store and online. In particular, you should encourage active listening among your employees and hire people who demonstrate empathy and quick problem-solving abilities.
2. Give Them a Personalised Shopping Experience
Long gone are the days (or at least they should be!) when companies sent out sales letters titled ‘Dear Valued Customer’. Indeed, most businesses realise that if they value the customer so much, they should at least know their name. Moreover, the savviest ones recognise that what customers are after now is a shopping experience personalised around their wants and needs.
Thanks to advances in technology, companies can now access a wealth of customer information at their fingertips. This includes their purchasing history, what products they have looked at or are likely to be interested in, and when they are most inclined to purchase something. Therefore, this allows them to tailor product recommendations and promotions to buyers, which makes the shopping process more enjoyable for them.
As well as a personalised shopping experience, customers are also after a seamless one too. Subsequently, it is important to provide them with a consistent one across various channels – including brick-and-mortar stores, online platforms and mobile apps. This holistic integration allows them to browse, purchase and return items through their preferred channels. Thus making the overall shopping experience more convenient and satisfying for them.
3. Make Sure You Track Stock Levels
When shopping, there are few things more frustrating for buyers than discovering that the product they want is out of stock or not available in the size they are after.
To reduce the chances of this happening, companies should implement a robust inventory management system like Cin7 or Ordoro to keep track of their stock levels in real-time.
Should a product be unavailable, make sure you are transparent about it. If you know the product will be back in stock by a certain date, label this clearly in store or online, to inform customers about its impending arrival. Alternatively, suggest a similar product they might like to buy instead.
Overall, this level of transparency builds trust and demonstrates your company’s commitment to customer satisfaction.
4. Offer Lots of Products on Sale
Everyone loves a bargain because it makes them feel like they are saving money and not necessarily spending it – which tends to be the mindset when people buy something that is full price. As a result, the more products you have on sale or special offer the better for your business.
As well as changing the psyche of the buyer, offering products at a special price is also an excellent way to increase brand loyalty among your customers. Not only does it create positive connections to your brand, it also can be the first of many purchases people make from you over the coming years.
5. Streamline the Checkout Process
Once the customer has decided to buy a product, the last thing they want to go through is a long and complicated checkout process to complete the purchase. This can lead to abandoned shopping carts online and dissatisfied customers in-store.
Buyers don’t want to see empty tills when there are long shopping lines, so always make sure each cash register is manned during busy times. In addition, they also appreciate quick and simple payment options like contactless payments from an EFTPOS machine, self-serve checkouts and five-items-or-less tills, where appropriate.
6. Have a Flexible Returns and Exchange Policies
The statement ‘All Purchases are Final’ does not go down well with customers anymore, so if you don’t want to put people off buying from your business, you are going to need to implement a flexible returns and exchange policy.
Offering buyers free returns, a more extended return window than your competitors and both in-store and online exchanges provides them with the peace of mind to make a purchase from you without the fear of being stuck with a product they don’t want.
Just make sure the process is simple, hassle-free and clearly communicated to customers before they make a purchase.
7. Run a Good Loyalty and Rewards Program
It’s harder and more expensive to attract a new client than to keep one. So, for this reason you should implement a strong loyalty and rewards programme to keep them sweet.
By offering points, rewards or incentives for repeat purchases, early access to new products or exclusive discounts, you will go a long way towards making extra sales, retaining customers and making them feel valued and happy.
Another good tactic is to send customers a targeted and personalised offer or something free on their birthday. This could be a special 10% off discount, a two for one bundle or a gift, like Zarraffas do when they entitle you to a free coffee.
8. Regularly Survey and Get Feedback from Your Customers
If you don’t know what your customers think about your brand or their thoughts on your products and service, it would make it that much harder to meet and exceed their expectations. It is a good idea then to regularly collect feedback to enable you to tailor your offerings accordingly.
Surveys, reviews and direct communication via email or social media are all good ways of garnering intel on what areas you can improve on and what successes you should celebrate.
Engaging with your customers in this way shows that you value their opinions and will help you stay ahead of the curve.
9. Engage with Customers on Social Media
Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube provide retailers with a fantastic opportunity to attract and directly engage with customers and build a positive brand image.
Try to post engaging content that will get your brand noticed. This could include humourous snippets, product shots, behind-the-scenes content or product demonstrations. Feel free to use popular music and eye-catching visuals in your posts.
Once a potential customer reaches out to you, make sure you respond promptly to their message and reply to any genuine comments left about your posts.
10. Show Your Commitment to Sustainability
In recent times, to reduce their carbon footprint, more eco-conscious buyers are choosing to shop at retailers who incorporate sustainable practices into their operation.
For this reason, it can be a good marketing strategy to source products responsibly and embrace eco-friendly packaging. You should also mention this on your website and sales literature as doing this would resonate with a certain customer base and build trust with those who identify with these values.
One Last Thing
At the end of the day your business can’t survive without customers. So, it is within your interests to look after them as much as possible.
The strategies outlined above will all help you to create a more positive shopping experience for those who choose to buy from you. Given that any customer has a potential lifetime value for your business that could run into thousands of dollars, it is important to invest time, money and effort to tap into it.