For many retailers, getting noticed is where they put the majority of their effort, but they fail to understand that getting noticed is only one part of the journey. Aside from getting your customers inside the store, you need to entice them to look, to stay, and to browse, making them all the more susceptible to that point of conversion.
Shopping is a multisensory experience
The visual aspect of the store matters, but it’s not the only thing that can get a customer hooked on your store. The mise-en-scene created by the right music that fits the brand as well as commercial scent diffusers like Aromatechscent can play a very powerful role in creating the kind of atmosphere you want, whether it’s using lavender to create a relaxed, slower pace, or a citrus scent to help customers be more alert to the products around them. Music, scent, and even a touch of comfort in the form of a well-placed chair can do a lot to enhance the visuals of their surroundings.
Sell them on sight
Of course, aesthetics have a lot to contribute to the ability of a store to invite and maintain the interest of your customers. However, too many retailers focus on curb appeal alone, when it’s the ability to create a visual journey on the store’s interior that can really make a major difference as well. The work of specialists like Design4Retail shows how important visual merchandising and creating an intuitive path to the different parts of the store can be. Your entire store should represent and bring your brand to life, so it feels like stepping into a catalogue more than just a simple store.
Tap into the matrix
Nowadays, shopping is almost always, in some part, a digital experience. Even when someone is going to your brick and mortar store, you can use location-based and personalised advertising to bring their attention to deals that might be happening within their reach, maximizing the combination of both convenience and urgency to get them inside. You can also make use of the omnichannel to get people to come to the store more often, combining in-store pickups with eCommerce shopping experiences. The more time they spend in the store, the more likely they are to buy something else at the same time.
A smile goes a long way
Simply put, if you want them to keep coming back, then great customer service is going to have the deepest and longest-lasting effect on your customers. Effective customer service training for your team is essential to make sure they know how to treat customers. However, improving work conditions and creating a great work culture is essential for helping them maintain the morale to keep up the effort of being the face of the brand, as well.
With the points above, hopefully it becomes a lot clearer that running a successful retail store is about more than just being aesthetically pleasing and creating a convenient shopping environment. You have to learn how to control your customer’s time, as well.
