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CONSUMER TRENDS
Still others make buying online so easy
that it only takes a few clicks of a button
to make your purchase—no credit card
numbers or passwords needed (well, once
they’re saved after your first purchase).
…And What You Can Do
Most experts agree brick-and-mortar
retail isn’t going to go anywhere any
time soon. However, it’s still a good
idea for these retailers to look to their
online counterparts for ideas of how
they can continue to improve the
overall shopping experiences for all
of their customers.
You may not have a Twitter account,
and you may not need to speak multiple
languages to communicate with all of your
customers. But you can still learn some
lessons from these online retailers that may
work in your brick-and-mortar stores.
Like Starbucks, you can solicit
customer opinions. You may not have
a specific social media account to do
so, but try asking your customers for
their thoughts about any aspect of
your business where you’re looking for
additional feedback. Have a suggestion
box set up at your store, or ask them
to post any ideas on your store’s
Facebook page.
And, like Netflix, keep the
conversation light yet professional.
Chances are that you know a good
number of your customers by name
already, which is great. Work to get
to know the ones you don’t know
yet; they’ll appreciate that even more
personalized service they’ll be offered
when you greet them by name as they
walk in the door. Ask them what they’re
looking for and how you can help.
While your ultimate goal is to answer
their questions and provide good service,
doing so with a light, friendly tone
(which is especially helpful when you’re
explaining something that might get a
little technical, such as when talking
plumbing or lighting repairs) can offer
“that something extra” customers
appreciate when shopping at their
favorite stores.
In the next issue of
Strategies
, we’ll take
a closer look at what brick-and-mortar
retailers can do to compete with online
retailing. Stay tuned to learn more!
Have a suggestion box
set up at your store,
or ask them to post any
ideas on your store’s
Facebook page.
38
Fall 2017 •
Hardlines
Strategies