One of the major goals of owning and running a store is to sell your goods. However, in order to sell your products, you need customers to buy them. But you won’t have, or retain, customers if they don’t have a good shopping experience since their experiences in your store can make or break their decision to purchase your products, whether or not they need them. Creating a great customer experience can really make you stand out from your competition. But how do you create that experience? Here are a few fool-proof strategies to improve customer experiences in your store and ultimately improve your sales.

Make Your Store Comfortable

Believe it or not, something as simple as the temperature of your store can mean the difference between customers who breeze in and out without really glancing at anything and those who stay a while to browse your products, interact with your staff and make a purchase. Your customers are most likely dressed for the weather outside, so if it’s hot out, don’t crank the A/C to a temperature low enough to warrant pants and a jacket. On the opposite side of the spectrum, if it’s exceptionally cold out, don’t turn up the heat so high that your customers start to sweat through their layers. Want additional tips? Check out our guide to improving the dressing room experience as well as the how to achieve an awesome retail layout design!

Pack Purchases with Care

The way you handle your products says a lot about you. When your customers do make their purchases, pack them with extra care. This will show your customers that you not only care about those products, but that you care about them as well. While you don’t want to overdo packaging, making it tedious for your customers to untangle them, and then have to deal with throwing away a ton of excess wrapping material, you still want your bags to look nice.

Less can truly be more, for your customers and the environment. Wrap purchases in a bit of tissue paper (using colors that match your brand), or place them into a box (if they are particularly delicate) and use paper bagsthat are stamped with your store’s name or logo. If appropriate, you can even use a bit of ribbon or twine to tie the handles together and add a really classy touch. Not only will your customers be proud to carry around their purchases (or present them as gifts if that is what they are intended for), they will draw the attention of others, who will wonder just where those great looking packages have come from.

Provide Exceptional Customer Service

It may seem like a no-brainer, but how your employees act and treat your customers can make or break the customer experience. And, if bad enough, your customers may never come back, even if they love your products. Train your employees on how to provide the best customer service possible. Greet your customers as soon as they enter. Don’t ignore them, even if occupied with another customer (either in person or on the phone). Acknowledge their presence and let them know you will assist them as soon as possible. Ask if assistance is needed, but don’t be pushy or hover. Thank the customer for their purchase, and mean it. Let them know you hope to see them again soon and that their business is greatly appreciated. If applicable, help your customers to their car with large (or several) packages.

 

You want to get customers in the door, make purchases, come back, and recommend you to their friends. But simply having products on your shelf isn’t nearly enough. Unless you offer unique products, you most likely have some competition that your customers could easily go to if they aren’t impressed. By improving customer experiences, however, you will stand out miles above your competition and see great improvement in your sales.