The traditional retail apocalypse is not upon us. Rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated and it’s not only still kicking, it’s thriving.
But when largescale retailers start closing flagship stores, as Ralph Lauren recently did in New York City, people start getting nervous. But there are reasons stores close and not all of them are obvious.
Unless you’re a consumer and not someone writing about retail for a newspaper, or online blog.
Consumers are in the driver’s seat. That has never been truer. And because consumers are in the driver’s seat, when they support traditional retail, they want that support to be rewarded.
So, what’s the greatest reward? Exceptional service. It’s what’s distinguishing the winners from the losers.
Service is making a comeback.
Back in the 1990s, people were calling it the “decade of service”. But exceptional customer service only goes out of fashion when the economy is booming and it’s a seller’s market. That’s not the case now. We are living in a buyer’s market and what the buyer wants is what the buyer should be getting.
Many of the large chains are panicking, cutting sales floor staff, when they should be increasing their service levels and finding other economies to fill the gap. Service is making a comeback and savvy retailers are responding with more fully-trained staff, prepared to deliver what the customer gets off the couch to experience- superior service.
Over-delivering is key.
Your philosophy of service, as a branded benefit of shopping at your outlet, can be rebuilt. It can be re-jigged to embrace the new demand for service, as traditional retailers meet the challenge of online retail.
Customers are still shopping in brick-and-mortars. In fact, they prefer shopping in the real world, if the truth be told. But to get them into your store, you must over-deliver as a feature of your brand.
It’s in that over-delivery that the consumer’s heart is won. Ralph Lauren didn’t do that. They relied entirely on the toney cachet of their brand to retain customer loyalty and market currency.
Customer perspective.
Everyone believes they’re doing their best. It’s human nature. But taking an objective look at service delivery in your outlet is how you’re going to keep your store from dying.
That means looking at your customer service through the eyes of the customer. Is each visitor to your outlet warmly greeted and welcomed? Is your staff willing to open itself up to everyone who comes into your store, with a belief in the benefits of what they’re selling?
These aren’t luxuries for retailers. These are the bare bones necessities. In the age when it’s fair to say that retail is not dead, but stores are closing, how to keep your store from dying is to focus on an exceptional experience for customers.
That starts on the sales floor, on the human level of quality interactions.
Clip Strip Corp.
At Clip Strip Corp., we support your success in a changing market with premium retail POP display products.