It seems that the tide is turning. A lot of e-commerce businesses are now finding themselves in the unenviable position of having to set up a brick and mortar store. And while this may not seem like a bad thing on the face of it, the real difficulty for these e-commerce businesses is that they have no plan in place to set one up successfully. They don’t have the acumen, and they don’t have the knowledge in which to get this set up appropriately. But, the keys to setting up a great store, are, surprisingly, very simple…
Convenience
Whatever type of store you are setting up, you always have to think of it in terms of making everything convenient for the customer. As such, it’s important that when you are setting up a store that you have considered every approach. When you are setting up a convenience store, naturally, everything has to be convenient to the customer! And this includes the small issues that stop them purchasing from you. If you do not have card machines, you should either consider implementing this, or making the most of an ATM sales company that sell ATM machines. There is nothing more frustrating than a card machine that doesn’t work, or, if the systems are down, that nobody is able to purchase anything from you. You will have lost a sale, and they won’t come back because they believe you to be incompetent.
Customer Focus
Customer service is one of the most key components in any brick and mortar store. Online businesses pride themselves on their customer service, but it’s only a fraction of what someone can do in the flesh. When you’re setting up a real store, you have to have employees onboard that can engage with customers. And it seems that now, there is a great disparity between the older, more experienced customer service providers and the youngsters that are now leaving education. For those that didn’t grow up with the internet, there is a more personable approach. And this is something that needs to be implemented into the business and the brand because a customer will come back if they find the workers to be warm and engaging. It’s not just about the soft skills, but it’s about those attitudes your workers embody.
The Experience
From the window display on the outside all the way to the back of the store, the customer needs to feel that the overall experience is a positive one. We can have tight control over this when building a website, but when setting up a real store, it provides additional challenges. You have to think about the experience and put yourself in the customer’s shoes. This can be quite enlightening because you will learn the fine art of where items go, and how they can prompt customers to buy certain things. It’s a very subtle skill, but it can be incredibly beneficial to the overall setup of the store. Don’t just think about displaying items, but think about the inherent psychology of shopping!
