Make improving the in-store experience a priority

It’s well-established that businesses get feedback from just a tiny fraction of their customers – with most of these being complaints, heard days or weeks after the event. This makes it very difficult to get any kind of mass representation data and near on impossible to act on any feedback in time to meet customer needs. The good news is however that times are changing thanks to technology becoming a real enabler in this area, plus increased recognition from businesses that gathering valuable insights can truly help to create a shopping experience that keeps customers returning – and recommending to others.

So where to start and what to ask?

These five tips can help put your in-store shopping experience on the fast track toward improvement this year.

• Customer service is a real differentiator and often dictates whether shoppers stick around. Make certain you listen to customer concerns to ensure you're delivering top-notch service and importantly act on it – this can go a long way toward increasing your company's top line
• Speed up the shopping experience – after all, no one wants the hassle of having to hunt down an item. Feature popular products in a window display and talk to your employees about your product selection so they can point shoppers in the right direction quickly and efficiently
• Consider pricing and how it stacks up against the competition.  While price may not be the only factor in a purchase decision, it is an important one. Learning about what others are charging may help to paint a clearer picture of what shoppers consider good value
• Brits may be good at queuing, but we don’t like to be kept waiting. Time is at a premium these days and shoppers expect good service - whether it’s opening up an extra checkout or answering question faster and taking a customer to a product point directly, staff need to do all they can to get busy shoppers in, out and on their way. As the speed of service increases, so too can profits
• When it comes to customer retention, a little bit goes a long way. Going out of your way to make just a few extra customers happier can help cut costs and boost revenue. Survey shoppers about their willingness to return so that you know if more needs to be done to keep customers in your store and away from competitors

Shoppers typically aren’t shy about offering feedback as long as you make it quick and easy for them to do so. Give customers a chance to voice specific opinions that can give you actionable feedback as a business owner.

Competition in retail will only get stronger this year so the more willing a business is to listen and act on customer feedback, the better 2018 they’ll have. Take the time this year to deliver a shopping experience that keeps your customers coming back. You’ll reap the rewards.

www.TruRating.com