We live in competitive times – it’s not easy to increase retail sales without facing many obstacles.
As the retail landscape changes, you need to be able to stay on top of your game. From omnichannel retailing to storefront design, here are fifteen ways to stand out from the crowd.
Related: The Complete Guide To Opening And Operating retail Stores
16 Tips To Help Increase Retail Sales
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Ensure that your store reflects customer preferences
It’s a fact that customers return to stores that appeal to them. Are there any factors that prevent your store from striking a positive chord with customers? Maybe it’s the way goods are showcased at your store? Are the aisles difficult to navigate? Making customer-friendly changes to your store will ensure that customers sit up and take notice of the products on offer.
Introduce Customer Feedback forms to get a quick understanding of what customers want from your store. Or you could emulate other successful competitors in your area and get a store template to attract more customers.
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Cater to the ever-changing demands of customers
Contemporary consumers are a fussy lot because they have a lot of options. Make sure that your store offers customers the quickest shopping time possible. Introduce multiple checkout counters so that waiting time is a bare minimum. Launch online stores if possible and deliver goods to their doorstep.
Watch the latest trends implemented by competitors and follow suit. Never let your business fall behind! Many fast fashion stores function in a self-service model.It would be much more inviting if you give customers sales personnel who can help them right from choosing clothes that suit the customer up till the payment process. This will give you more happy customers.
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Focus on delivering an appealing end-to-end shopping experience
Make sure that shoppers are hooked right from the start of their shopping experience. To achieve this, ensure that your store features reliable salespeople and a support team that provides quality assistance at all times. Use customer-friendly signage and offer deals that never fail to attract them.
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Focus on social commerce
It is important to invest in building a formidable social media presence for your store to increase retail sales. Create social media posts that provide useful and timely updates regarding new products or exciting offers. Leverage the power of social media to build long-lasting relationships with tech-savvy customers.
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Focus on cultivating a high trust factor
Retail stores often get many complaints from disgruntled customers. Make sure these complaints are resolved in a swift and efficient manner. Do not hesitate to provide refunds or product replacements whenever required. It helps to strengthen your brand’s reputation and provides customers with something to look out for in your brand.
In order to stand out from the rest, it is important that you do something unique. Build a brand for yourself by using a common theme for your products, your store design, your eCommerce promotions, etc. Try to be creative and develop a brand that people will be ready to invest in, even if you charge a higher price.
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Focus on attracting users on handheld devices
A lot of customers rely on their handheld devices for shopping. Send out alerts on their smartphones reminding them about exciting products or new deals. Customers who view products on their handheld devices will be more inclined to visit your store, especially if it is located nearby. You can increase retail sales simply by getting more conversions from people who already like you.
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Have the right amount of inventory
Do not overstock your store. It’s important that you have only the right amount of stock in your store. Over-stocking might lead to the customer getting confused or exhausted and ultimately picking up nothing from your store. Similarly, it is important to have enough options to choose from also.
Today, retailers are striving to set their store apart from the rest. They are implementing many different, interesting ideas so as to drive more footfall and sales.
Also Read: 5 Simple Ways To Drastically Improve Customer Experience In Your Store
Urban Outfitters has introduced in-store pizzerias. Club Monacco has introduced libraries, cafes and floral shops within their stores. Lululemon gives shoppers yoga classes. All this is done to give customers an ‘experience’ within their stores.
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Reach out to customers regularly
Understand the choice of your customers. Track their shopping behavior and utilize this data to send them emails showing them products that would interest them. On the same product offer discounts and other offers.
Personalizing your brand for the customer always gets them to be inclined towards you.
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Make inspirational videos
Great ads always work. Create interesting and inspirational videos with your products, for your customers to watch and enjoy. This is a tool that catches their attention very soon. Don’t believe us? Just take a look at how much money DollarShaveClub made with this one video.
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Use automation in your store
This is the day of omnichannel marketing. The more you digitize your store, the better it is. Some stores like Bloomingdales, use iPads within the ‘smart’ changing rooms so that customers can request for different sizes and colors from within the room easily.
AI and VR rooms have been successfully implemented at Neiman Marcus. You don’t even need to step into a dressing room to try on clothes!
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Go omnichannel
You must have a website. It is true that brick-and-mortar stores will not go obsolete. But, their existence depends to a large extent on their visibility on the internet. Most people prefer to browse online to see the products and variations that you have and then come over to your shop to check them out.
Customers compare prices online and do research on the products before actually going to the store. So, as long as you don’t develop your website, apart from having an offline store, you are definitely losing out on your customer reach.
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Delight customers with superior services
Why do consumers love shopping online? Because only brands deliver products at their doorstep. This is a big convenience for shoppers which drives most online sales today. If offline sellers go one step ahead and are ready to deliver products on the same day of shopping, customers would consider that option.
Even biggies in the US, like Walmart, have partnered with Uber and Lyft to have grocery delivered to the customers on the same day. They began adopting such methods because of a decrease in footfall in the store. There are startups, like Shutl in the UK, that deliver products within 90 minutes of purchase.
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Be innovative
Customers today look for an experience, rather than simply shopping when they come to stores today. There has to be a real driver for customers to come into stores. This is what retailers have to really work on.
Working on the interiors of your store would be the first step towards this. Designing a store which would undoubtedly entice people to walk in always works.
For example, Bonobos is a US fashion brand. What makes Bonobos different from other fashion stores is that their physical stores are only meant for showrooming, and not for purchasing. Customers can try out clothes from the store along with getting good fashion advice, and finally, they get them shipped to their homes.
Customers are extremely impressed with their customer service and the idea of not having to carry back whatever they shopped.
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Sales personnel can educate customers
When someone comes to purchase at your store, you have the option to impress the customer by providing them with great service and education about any particular product. One can’t do this online.
Train your sales personnel adequately in order to give customers the right advice so as to help them make the right choice. At the same time, they should take care not to suffocate the customer with too much interruption while they are trying to purchase something.
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Make checkout easy
The most burdensome thing that customers go through while shopping at a store is the checkout queue. People generally wait for a long time there. This is definitely something that could pull people back from buying offline. Finding a solution to this will undoubtedly help.
Related:5 Simple Ways To Drastically Improve Customer Experience In Your Store
For example, Apple stores have completely eliminated checkout counters. There, salespeople have handheld smartphones using which they handle the sales transaction and send the receipt to the customer via email.
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Know your customer
The most significant advantage that an offline retailer has over an online seller is the personal relationship you can build with your customer. This can go a long way in bringing them back to your store if you provide the right ingredients to please them.
Retailers need to realize the significance of the omnichannel concept in today’s retail scenario. Integrating your offline and online channels will boost your sales more than expected. Using technology wisely will unarguably surprise you with its outcome.
Primaseller helps you create a platform to do omnichannel marketing. We integrate your online and offline channels of sale and operate them as one single system. This helps you view your entire business from a single panel and simplify the entire process of business management and boost your sales.
Author Bio:
Dave Sarro is the President and CEO of Promo Direct, a #1 promotional products company in the US that is focused on supplying a range of promotional giveaways to businesses, educational institutes, and NGOs of all sizes in the US. Dave is a consummate marketing strategist, key authority in the promotional industry and responsible for driving the company towards its mission of delivering quality products and optimum user experiences.
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