Customer retention is one of the most important factors for business continuity. Research by marketing experts shows that upselling (suggesting new products to a customer and increasing their average ticket) is easier when there is more interaction with the customer. The amount of time a shopper spends in the store is key to creating that opportunity.
A study by Gartner shows how important it is to invest in keeping customers close. According to the study, 80% of a company’s future profits will come from just 20% of the customers who have already purchased its products.
In retail, a good shopping experience keeps visitors in the store and gets them to buy more products. Check out a few tips for getting them to stay.
Improve the environment and make it pleasant
Ever wondered how the big retailers earned the market share they have? It all comes down to how they position their branding and lay out the store.
We are extremely sensory beings and can be stimulated by all five senses at once. That’s why shoppers who can touch a product are more likely to buy it. Likewise, they are drawn to buy whatever sits at eye level, in a prominent position.
Colors also play an important role at the point of sale. Red is associated with good prices, while blue is not. That’s why some stores, like the American chain CVS, give priority to red, both in their branding and in their brand activations.
Arranging products so that customers have to stop in front of counters can help them notice an offer they would otherwise miss. Still, this work is all about stimulating as many senses as possible to “hold” shoppers inside the store.
Merchandise locked behind glass in a poorly lit store with lots of noise around makes us want to run. Make sure the shopping experience encourages people to stay at the POS.
Offer amenities that extend visitors’ stay
When it comes to offering a better shopping journey, nothing pleases customers more than the conveniences we provide. A place to sit while waiting for his wife to try on clothes, strategically positioned in front of the men’s section, can lead a husband to spot items he wants to buy for himself.
The convenience of getting two things done in one place, like buying a phone along with screen protectors and cases, is a form of cross merchandising that encourages upselling. The same goes for launch events, where customers can get to know products in detail and make an informed purchase — these extra services work to keep them in the store longer and make the POS more inviting.
What can your store offer that’s exclusive and makes shopping more enjoyable? Base that decision on your target audience to plan which amenities will be valuable and able to keep customers in the store for longer periods.
Turn customers into brand promoters
Social media is irresistible. Most Brazilians spend at least nine hours online. Three of those hours are spent on social media.
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are tough places to build a solid brand strategy that drives engagement. When customers are the ones sharing a message, letting their friends know they visited a store or bought a product, people are more likely to interact with that post and discover the brand.
That’s why certain conveniences are important for promoting a business. Offering WiFi to people who visit your store is one of them. Making access conditional on a Facebook check-in motivates users to like your page and gives them a reason to stick around longer.
Stands where people can pose with products, a fitting room with ideal lighting for selfies, coffee, candy and champagne are all techniques used to get shoppers to promote a company without even realizing it. Every extra moment inside the store is another reason to buy more products.
Surprise your customers
Going the extra mile for your customers and making their day more pleasant is one of the simplest ways to keep them in the store. Customer retention using this strategy works much like guerrilla marketing.
Visitors are surprised by features they didn’t expect, which break the routine of an ordinary shopping trip.
Digital experiences may be exactly what your space is missing to turn it into a place where shoppers want to stay. Imagine walking into a fitting room expecting the usual mirror and curtain, only to be greeted by a screen showing matching accessories that can be purchased right there. Dwell time goes up, and so does product knowledge. As a result, the chances of a higher average ticket increase.
Use technology to understand shopping patterns
We have plenty of tools to analyze how shoppers interact inside stores. Internet of Things sensors and motion-detecting cameras are among the most valuable.
They identify patterns that can be applied when planning an optimized shopping experience. If you notice that shoppers spend more time in a particular section, for example, you can reposition it so it stands out.
When you notice that one product gets touched more than others, you can use that to your business’s advantage by creating exclusive interactions around it. A TV that displays images of the people walking past it is more appealing than one showing just any program. A phone with a QR code placed on a panel in front of it will spark curiosity about where it leads and get the shopper to visit the website in question.
Small innovations can make a big difference in a store’s results. You need to be creative and spot opportunities to put them to use.
If the customer experience and the time spent in the store are enjoyable, customers won’t just tend to increase their average ticket. Good service will also bring them back to buy again.
Shoppers who buy your company’s products a second time are always more generous than recently converted ones. They spend up to 67% more than people who have just been introduced to your business.
Stores with interactive features have an easier time retaining customers. So learn how to create experiences at the POS!
If you want to learn much more and dive even deeper into customer retention strategies (with the data and research behind the results), check out the post here.
Inscreva-se em nossa Newsletter
Receba no seu email todas as novidades do nosso blog sobre tecnologia e varejo, além de ficar por dentro do novos projetos Alice Wonders.
Thank you for subscribing.
Something went wrong.
Respeitamos sua privacidade e levamos a sério a sua proteção
