We have already looked at actions you can take to give your customers a reason to visit your store rather than purchasing online. Here are five more simple actions to ensure you have a successful high street business.
1) Click and collect in store
Customers like to browse and order online. They do not want to waste time coming into the store, only to find that the item is not in stock. Combining these two functions in a seamless way is absolutely essential. Your customers may well be happy to come into your store after ordering online, particularly if this means avoiding delivery charges.
2) Intelligent rewards programme
Most shops today have a rewards programme, but yours needs to stand out. Keep your customers by offering them incentives based on their buying history and interests rather than the amount of money they have spent. This could be a key factor in retaining customers rather than them moving to a store that offers lower prices.
Underlying the key success of your business is one factor: getting the right in store music. You can consult a specialist such as https://moodmedia.co.uk/in-store-music-for-business/ to find out what music would be best for your store.
3) Data security
This is absolutely key to success. Making sure your IT department is keeping on top of developments will ensure that data is not sold to third parties or stolen by hackers.
Ensure that staff are fully-trained on the latest GDPR requirements. Although the May 2018 date for ensuring full compliance is now past, ensure your staff keep their knowledge up to date by referring them to the International Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website.
4) Returns policy
Returns need to be easy and seamless, with staff at the returns desk appropriately trained. If customers prefer to deal with returns online, even if the product was bought in the store, this option should be available.
5) Consultants rather than sales assistants
If staff are focussed on the task of completing sales rather than helping customers to make decisions, this is an area that will need enhancing and improving. You need to make sure staff are knowledgeable about the products on offer and can guide potential customers towards what they did not know they needed. In today’s competitive selling market, customer loyalty is something to nurture.
