Take a look at what’s been happening around you these days. It’s amazing isn’t it? The world is moving and changing faster each day. And the world of retail is desperately doing its best to keep up. What this means for all of us, as consumers, is that we’ve never had it so good!
Retailers of all stripes are performing better in every area of their business. Product selection is better than ever. Store designs are often amazing. Staff performance, while still sometimes challenging, is becoming stronger too.
For consumers, this is all very good news. We can demand, and count on, getting what we want the way we want it. As consumers, we define the experience that we want, not the one the retailer wants to give us.
So, here’s the challenge now for every retailer:
Create an amazing customer experience in your stores, or risk losing your customers.
For retailers to continue to grow and thrive, they must continually raise the bar on the level of service they provide to their customers. In many respects, customer service is the new marketing. Product differentiation as your only strategy is dead (after all, you can find most any product in lots of different places for sale). The branding approach of old (pound out your message through mass media) no longer works. Social media now allows your customers to talk, share experiences and shout if necessary. Your brand is now, more than ever, clearly defined only by what your customers are saying.
Are you creating a memorable customer experience with each and every transaction? Anything less will make you irrelevant and soon, a thing of the past in the eyes of your customers.
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Blog Authors: Linda
Linda Montalbano is a true retail operator with a history of leading large retail teams to success. If you need a fresh perspective on what's going wrong in your stores, Linda is the one to tell you like it is and come up with a solid game plan to turn things around!