Flooring The Consumer on Simple Marketing Now

Please visit Flooring The Consumer's new home on SimpleMarketingNow.com where you can subscribe to receive updates to blog articles in real time!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

For A Memorable Retail Experience Think Customers

Memorable retail experienceMy mother recently insisted that I go shopping with her. Her goal: to buy me something. So, we set off with my daughter in tow for the Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, NJ. The result: not a memorable retail experience from any perspective...

What made this retail experience such a dud? Lessee... We encountered an endless sea of sameness with monochrome color schemes wherever we went. Not a single surprise: no surprising juxtapositions or inspired merchandise assortments. The energy in-store was palpably non-existent. In other words, not much joy and not much interest in surprising, delighting and creating a memorable retail experience for customers...

My reaction: retailers need to take to heart the following expert retail advice...

5 reasons theatricality will boost retail sales from the November/December 2009 issue of DDI Magazine [republished as How to boost your retail sales by using theatrical tricks] states:
  • 1. Make your store stand out from the rest.
  • 2. Appeal to the customer's "inner child" [we all have one].
  • 3. Create a romance that surrounds your products and enhances their desirability.
  • 4. Make a joyous shopping experience.
  • 5. Create a buzz.
In Think Tank with Lee Eisenberg, author of Shoptimism: Why the American Consumer Will Keep on Buying No Matter What, from January/February 2010 issue of DDI Magazine, the author mentions that "atmospherics play a major role in shaping one's in-store decision-making... music, lighting, aroma... all contribute to whether customers feel comfortable, aroused or overwhelmed, all of which influence how much time we spend in a store and whether we're encouraged to buy or flee." His advice:
  • 1. Treat customers with respect.
  • 2. Be thoughtful in how you conceive of and maintain store design, including the care and maintenance paid by sales associates, to assure a pleasing experience...
  • 3. Every retailer -upscale, discounter, etc. - must do everything possible to please consumers' senses.
Although I couldn't locate the exact interview, I did find this related article Shoptimism: Why We Buy Things.

Finally, words of practical wisdom from Four Lessons to Learn From The Success Of Miracle Mile Shops. The article states "...it's more than just location that appears to be driving sales at Miracle Mile [in Las Vegas.] It's a perfect desert storm of product selection, an emphasis on value and a strong drive to improve customer service." More specifically:
  • Don't take your customers for granted.
  • Have ridiculously high standards for your staff.
  • Cater your assortment to fit your audience.
  • Make shoppers feel good.
Now, imagine that your Mom takes you shopping to buy you anything [within reason :-)], would you stay in your store and buy something or would you leave empty-handed? How does your retail experience stack up?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Reminder: Please, no self-promotional or SPAM comments. Don't bother if you're simply trying to build inauthentic link juice. Finally, don't be anonymous: it's too hard to have a conversation. Thanks, CB

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...