Make customers feel safe in your store
Due to covid-19, health and safety regulations are more important than ever. If a customer does not feel like their well-being is being put first or they feel unsafe in your store it will drive them away. Communicating the company's health and safety measures across all marketing platforms will put customers' minds at ease and attract them to the store. These measures must be upheld in-store by employees to ensure customers are receiving the experience they were promised.
Make sure you are found on Google
When a customer is googling something relevant to your company, make sure you are showing up. You can do this by setting up business listings on google as well as other platforms. When creating this, ensure you include as much detail as possible about your business as this will make your profile look more attractive and drive more traffic to your website and location.
Implement click and collect in your store
Since covid-19, click and collect has grown dramatically. Offering this service drives traffic into the store and has been proven to increase in-store sales.
Hire and develop employees who can provide exceptional customer experiences
Employees are the ones doing the selling, so having well-trained and passionate team members can make a huge difference. Employees need to feel valued and appreciated to ensure they are happy to be there. Training employees to deliver a positive experience for the customer is very important, they should be able to recognize customers' needs and how to solve them.
Have exciting in-store visuals
People are most likely only going to buy something if it looks appealing. Also having a visually appealing element in the store may encourage visitors to post this onto their social media which will drive other individuals into the store. Some tips to follow when creating in-store visuals are:
-Make them multidimensional to look more attractive and interesting
-Have clear focus points, don't overwhelm the customer
-Don't make the visuals too busy and confusing. Keep the space organized and easy for customers to find what they need.
-Create interactive elements, let customers see the products in action, or allow them to try them out.
-Be strategic with the layout. Position the most exciting items front and centre as this communicates what you are capable of and gives off a good impression instantly as the customer enters.
-Keep the visuals up to date and fresh.
-Stay relevant with special occasions for example Christmas and Mothers day etc.
Eliminate the wait
Customers are likely to abandon purchasing something if they know they have to wait. “Americans will abandon a checkout line and leave a store without purchasing after eight minutes of waiting in a checkout line. British shoppers won’t even wait around that long. They’ll walk out after just six minutes.” Ensure there are plenty of staff available and are covered during the busier periods.
Have an easy to use loyalty scheme
Implement a loyalty scheme that is designed to fit your ideal customer profile. Rewarding customers for returning to your store is a proven way to gain loyal customers.