Running a retail business is tough, particularly as it is one of the most competitive markets out there. In all realms of business the customer is king, but nowhere is this played out more fully than in the world of retail, and that needs considering if you are thinking of getting ahead with your retail business. One of the most vital elements of keeping the customer happy is ensuring that the shopping trip itself is as good as can be. For that, you need to understand what it is that customers are actually looking for when they step into a store. In this post, we are going to try and answer that question. What is it customers want, whether or not they know it themselves?
Variety Of Goods
No matter what kind of store it is, you can guarantee that this one is always going to apply. Your customers, more than anything, want to have a lot of choice for what products to buy. As long as you are giving them the opportunity to have that choice, you will find that they are almost always happy with the trip. There is a balance to be drawn, however – after all, you don’t want to overstock on products that you are not sure are actually going to sell, so you do need to figure out what the ideal level is. You can only work this out after you have been open a while, so it is a matter of adopting a little patience and using trial and error.
Clear Merchandising
The way that you merchandise your goods is hugely relevant to how easy the shopping trip is for your customer. It needs to be as clear as possible otherwise you can’t be sure that they are getting everything that they need. If you want to make sure your customer is able to have an easy and enjoyable tie in your store, you should work on displaying your goods in the clearest manner possible. It is also important that you are clear about pricing, as this is the most common area of contention for most customers. Grab hold of some Garvey price gun labels at americanpricemark.com or somewhere similar and make sure that you clearly display the price on every item. In many places, this is even law.
Simple Layout
Your customers also expect to be able to get around the store easily, so you should endeavor to make your layout as simple as possible. This doesn’t mean you can’t deviate from the traditional store layouts – you might decide that it is beneficial to do just that – but you should always put the customer at the forefront of any layout decisions you do make. The simpler, the better, as they will be able to make their trip much easier. There is another benefit to this too, which is that you can be more certain of their safety, and the safety of your staff, as the whole building will be less cluttered.
