The retail shop is in crisis today because of a booming online marketplace. This has caused many retailers to shift resource and contemplate shutting down their retail operations altogether. But this needs to be considered carefully because a retail location offers certain benefits that an online shop simply cannot provide. Smart business owners like Larry Polhill understand how to exploit these benefits, and when the company does this, it can find that its popularity remains very high. So before you shut your doors and only sell through Facebook, here are some tips for getting your retail business back in the growth column.
Invite People to Visit Your Shop
One huge advantage you have over an online business is that you can invite potential customers to come to your shop. When they get there, the sights sounds and smells can serve as additional reasons for them to make a purchase from you. No website no matter how beautiful can match a retail location that is a real feast for the senses. Use this fact to make your shop special and inviting to customers.
When you focus on appealing to the eyes (beautiful and functional setting), ears (pleasing music that supports the types of products you are selling) and even nose (if you are selling food products make sure people can smell your food at your retail shop), you get people into the buying mood. Also make sure the place is spotless and the lighting is strategic to enhance the products you are selling.
Offer Incentives for People to Come to Your Retail Shop
Even if you have an online shop, your retail shop gives you an advantage over others so do all you can to get people into your shop including offering them discounts, freebies rewards for coming. You can tie a purchase to these incentives or make it just for them showing up. You might even offer different types of sales that are only available at the retail shop. Remember this is a marketing cost and as such needs to be calculated and track to ensure that your campaign is making you profits.
Train Your Retail Staff in Customer Service
Your retail staff should be friendly, knowledgeable and focused on making each customer feel special and appreciated. Do not let any customers wait and make sure that every question about a product gets answered quickly and correctly. Offer customers different numbers they can use so that when they come into the shop staff can greet them by name and know already their purchasing preferences. This also allows you to market to them and let them know when products they prefer are in stock. Have everyone in the shop positioned to add to the experience this includes when customers being returns, whether those returns are from a retail or online purchase.
Using the retail location as a hub for your sales and customer interaction activity can really pay off. Most online retailers do not have a physical location so simple things like wanting to say hello, giving them discounts on the spot and providing customers a live person to chat with in the event of a damaged product goes a long way toward causing them to have an interest in your business. Be smart about how you present your retail location to them and use it to its maximum advantage. The result will be more sales and a stronger business.
