Businesses are so focused on their e-commerce and online presence that they’re forgetting one important component of their brick-and-mortar store: how people feel when they walk in the room. While you may be thinking of a multitude of things about your business, your customers are not. Instead, they are going to notice four things when they arrive in your shop. If you are not careful, you will end up losing your customers (even the loyal ones) because of neglectfulness.
Customers see everything with fresh eyes. Even loyal ones tend to want to experience walking in your store again and again because they are comfortable in it. The problem these days is that most business owners tend to focus on their online presence only that they forget about how their brick-and-mortar stores are making customers feel. If you haven’t taken notice of your physical store for quite some time now, drop everything you’re doing and give it a thought.
Curbside
Even before customers enter the store, they’re already forming an opinion about how your store looks from the outside. You can hire a commercial landscape company that will update your store’s curbside appeal. Don’t rely on cleanliness alone to do the job of impressing your customers. They should be impressed by the attention to detail, the flowers blooming by the window display, the cute signage for customers, and the plants and shrubberies along the pathway.
The curbside appeal is more than just for show. It’s part of the store’s overall charm. If you don’t give it enough attention, it could discourage customers from visiting your shop again.
People
It is human nature to be drawn to people. This is why customer service is critical to any business. Customers will naturally gravitate toward your staff to inquire about products. Make sure that the first people your customers see will make them want to stay in the store. Your staff should make customers feel welcome. They represent your business, so make sure they are trained to attend to the clients’ needs.
Three things should happen so store staff will impress your customers. The first one is to determine where the customers are coming from. Are they stressed? Have they been to the store before? Are they new customers? The second thing is to greet customers correctly. They should be uniform in their greetings. And the third is how the staff dress. If they look disheveled, that will not encourage customers. Store personnel should dress appropriately.
Smell
Unless you are a perfume store, it’s unlikely that your store will smell good without effort. Smell has a powerful effect on customers. They will walk out of the store if they smell something foul when they enter. Besides, what kind of store is foul-smelling? Coffee shops are successful because the smell of coffee beans wafts through the air and invigorate the customers’ senses.
How do you keep the store smelling the way customers want it to smell? Proper waste management means taking out the trash, recycling trash, and clearing the store of anything that could leave a lingering smell. There are hundreds of incidences in a day, so store personnel should always be ready for them. Have an air freshener ready in case something suddenly smells bad in the store. The bathroom should also be spotless since bad odors can come from them. A well-maintained bathroom leaves a lasting impression on customers.
Cleanliness
A clean business is a professional business. And no, that doesn’t refer to your taxes. This is honest-to-goodness store cleanliness. No customer will ever be impressed with a disorganized store. Mark those words. Keep your store clean at all times. Impress customers with not only your products’ quality but with the overall cleanliness of the store.
The first thing your staff should do every time they get in the store is to check the floors and windows. Once they are sure the floors and windows are spotless, they can wipe the counters, organized the items, and diffuse essential oils if you’re into those things. Regular maintenance and deep-cleaning sessions will also contribute to keeping your store spick and span.
All the little things in a store add up. These can make a huge difference in how your customers feel. If you keep up with all these things, there’s a good chance you will have customers visiting you repeatedly. A good business isn’t just about the products and services. It’s about how customers feel when they walk into your store and interact with your staff.