There is a direct link with the amount of time spent by customers in your store and how much they spend. Have you ever thought to monitor this? If you do, it will become apparent what a shopper is comfortable with and what they really hate.
Consider, shoppers need space: Shoppers hate to be crowded especially if they are browsing, if you want them to stay longer then you will need to assess your store layout. shop your store as if you were a customer and note what you are not happy with.
Do you have a busy kids section with pop, sweets and lunch box stuff? If you have product located next door to this that more mature customers could be looking for, they will not linger if they feel uncomfortable with what is going on in the next door fixture.
If a customer looks up to see a dis-organised and extremely busy cash point, they are more than likely to leave without purchasing
Action plan what you believe needs to change, ask your staff also if they can recall comments made by customers whilst shopping, they may not always think to mention this unless you ask them.
Keep your aisles free of clutter and promotional stands, if you support lots of promotions allocate a promotional area or fixture and sign it clearly. Merchandise promo lines into their relevant product categories where possible, this works particularly well with chilled product. It also encourages additional purchases if promo stock is faced up along side a relevant item. Give your customers space to move and browse
It is a good idea to conduct a space versus turnover comparison to ensure maximum profit from your layout.
Customers are more likely to buy if they have been acknowledged by a staff member, eye contact and a smile is a good place to start. Don't let the fun of shopping get lost with poor customer service and dis-organised pay points. If a customer looks up to see a dis-organised and extremely busy cash point, they are more than likely to leave without purchasing. You must set the vision of excellent customer service from day one. Communicate and then develop your requirements and expectations with all members of your team, no matter how small or large a team that may be.
Make the assessment of what happens in your store a daily requirement, if, at a later stage you delegate this discipline, ensure your member of staff, manager, supervisor is clear on what you require, and put in place methods to measure the results. Staff will not always do what you ask, they will always do what you measure.
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Retail professional with a passion for excellent customer service, to excel in this area will undoubtedly maintain a successful business, and maximise profitability. In the rush to compete we have missed the most important aspect of our offering, our customers.
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