By Megan Moyer, corporate marketing manager, for the “Profits in the front end” blog series
There are many practical things you can do to provide a pleasant shopping experience – right products at the right price in the right place – merchandising principles that we live and breathe. But the truth is, a shopping trip can be ruined by the vibe alone. If your store, your staff, and you don’t foster a welcoming, uplifting environment, it won’t matter how well you have merchandised your departments or the products you carry, that won’t be incentive enough for customers to come back.
You only get one chance to make a first impression.
It’s an old saying but is undeniably true. And you never know when you’re going to get a first-time visitor so it’s important to establish the attitude you want to be known for all day every day.
While I can argue the first impression starts in the parking lot, and then the exterior of your store, the entryway, and so on, for the purpose of this blog post, we’ll assume those areas are well taken care of and starting customers off on the right foot. Let’s start with the greeting. Do you acknowledge customers when they come into your store? Is it in a helpful and friendly manner? I can think of many stores I go into, shop, and leave and have barely any store associate utter a word to me. Most of us want to feel like we are being welcomed into a friendly place.
Associates in the front end should offer assistance without being pushy. There are plenty of products in the front end customers prefer to purchase discreetly, so think of how to best offer help with consideration for these scenarios. Typically, body language is a good clue.
Set the standard – if your employees see you greeting and helping customers, they will take the cue from you and be more comfortable doing it themselves. You could even try role playing if you feel some staff need a bit more coaching.
The easiest way to set the tone in your store is to encourage smiling. It may sound silly, but it takes minimal effort while providing great returns. Say hello with a smile. Smiling is contagious, welcoming, and sets a pleasant tone. Chances are good your shoppers will smile back, and a smiling customer is more likely to engage, buy, come again, and tell others about a positive shopping experience.