My friend Mary Lang Solinger, who had years of retail experience under her belt before turning her attention to good causes and liberal politics, pointed out recently that many people are now collecting experiences rather than “things.” Not good news for retailers, you might think — but as Mary points out, as store owners we have an opportunity to be part of the experience both for local customers and visitors.

What does your store do to make customers want to buy in person instead of shopping online? Are you creating a memorable shopping experience by treating everyone who walks through the door like a welcome guest?

I heard a report recently of an informal survey done of stores in the Chicago area, and the mystery shopper reported that he was not even greeted in the vast majority of the shops he visited.  Last night Dean and I walked into a store where the clerk was playing a hand-held video game (the night before we went to an outdoor Shakespearean play where a couple of the audience members were playing them too, but that’s another story!).  We’ve all gone into stores where the sales staff are busy chatting with each other, or talking on the phone.

 How can we complain about the effects of the bad economy if we can’t master the simple act of greeting customers?  I challenge you to go way beyond that base point in your interaction with the shoppers who come into your store, and I promise that not only will your customers feel better about patronizing your business, but you will get more pleasure from being in retail.

 A few ideas of extra service that add to the shopping experience include refreshments and food sampling, product demonstrations, activities for children while the parents shop, and small gifts with purchase.  There is an Airstream convention in Madison right now with 1,000 trailer owners visiting from around the country.  We’ve created a free commemorative magnet to give the Airstream visitors who come into our store, and also a printed map for them to indicate where they come from. These inexpensive activities get the conversation going beyond hello, and few visitors leave empty handed.

 Let me know what you are doing to make your store part of the experience for shoppers.  I know there are countless creative promotions that we can be inspired by to make our own stores more successful — because we all want our customers to have a great time when they shop, and come back often.

  

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder