How to Improve Customer Experience:
5 Unique Ideas
The experience a customer has in your store has to be unlike any other for your store to stand out. A unique and pleasant experience will make any customer want to stay longer (and buy more, of course).
Cluttered aisles, musty smells, and dim lighting can all be immediate turn-offs for new customers. If you rely heavily on walk-ins and foot traffic, this is something you’ll want to pay extra attention to. Without an online presence, your store’s success relies solely on a positive in-store experience.
Improve customer experience by checking out these 5 unique ideas that will help your store stand out.
Make a Memorable First Impression
From the moment a potential customer drives or walks by your store, you want them to be intrigued. Your outdoor appearance, as well as the displays at the front of your store, should be eye-catching.
First and foremost, your storefront should always be clean and tidy. Messy aisles and grungy floors will give your customer the impression you don’t care about your appearance, products, or even the customer.
The initial greeting can also do a lot to shape a customer’s experience. Whether you’re restocking shelves, are in the back taking inventory, or just chilling at the register, you should always make sure that the customer is greeted upon arriving. This shows them that you’re grateful that they’re there and appreciate their business.
The items placed at the front of your store should offer your customer some incentive to want more. If you sell something like edible treats or body products, free samples are a good way to entice customers into learning more about your products.
Train Your Employees to Improve Customer Experience
While we already mentioned the initial greeting, the rest of the experience matters too.
Your employees can make or break the customer experience. If they have a poor attitude or bother customers while they’re shopping, you may lose a sale. A positive, welcoming attitude goes a long way in ensuring you have repeat customers.
Your employees’ attitudes will also undoubtedly rub off on your customers. If your employees are cheerful and helpful, your guests will feel at ease. However, if you’re greeting by an employee that can’t be bothered to look up a size or take a break from their cell phone, your customers won’t be too keen to return.
And though it is often helpful to have an employee assist you with a purchase, if you’re just browsing, then you most likely want to be left alone. Don’t allow your employees to get too over-eager to the point where they bother your customers.
Ask if they need any help or have any questions and leave it at that. If they’re looking for something specific, be sure to point them in the right direction or offer some helpful advice, but always take these cues from the customer themselves.
Think About Scent
Scent marketing is a new and subtle way to drum up returning business. We all react to nice scents, whether we realize it or not. But the ones that make the biggest impression? Bad smells.
If your store is musty and dusty, smells like new paint fumes, or smelly garbage, chances are your customer will turn around as soon as they came in. Purchasing a commercial odor eliminator can come in handy for moments when your business isn’t smelling it’s best.
You can neutralize those naturally unpleasant scents that come as a byproduct of certain businesses. Whether you own a pet supply store, nail salon, or gym, it doesn’t have to smell bad. Remove odors and lightly fragrance your space to show customers they made the right choice in choosing your business.
Set the Tone with Music
We’ve all been in that store that has some random radio station on. You’re distracted by the commercials for a local pizzeria and liposuction, and the experience is anything but attractive.
Or worse, maybe they have their music blasting at full volume, and you’re yelling at the top of your lungs to ask your friend if these jeans look as cute on you as they did on the mannequin.
What music you play and how loud it’s played matters. Create a playlist customized for the tone of your store. Place speakers away from areas where guests would want to stop and look at products and try to keep the sound at a moderate level. Your guests shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in awkward silence but also not accosted by noise at every turn.
Store Rewards
Store rewards and coupons are great for showing your customer how much you appreciate their business. Consider a small token of appreciation for first-time customers, like a 10% off coupon for anything in the store or a small signature item. This will not only remind them of your store but make it more likely that they’ll return.
Offer coupons at checkout to encourage returning customers, or simply remind them to come back and see you when they get a chance! You can even place special QR code deals in dressing rooms or hidden under certain products for a fun surprise when guests are browsing.
Improving Customer Experience
Improve customer experience because the time a customer spends in your store will end up becoming its reputation. Make it a good one by implementing some of these tips into your day-to-day business practices.
