2020 has not been an easy year for all of us due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nonetheless, life has to go on and businesses are starting to reopen all over the world. With strict measures being put into place, retail stores are now welcoming back their shoppers but with safety measures in place.

I know it is a challenge to keep employees and customers’ safe at all times, but it is necessary in these trying times. So, even as you follow the local and state regulations, you also need to put into place some of your own precaution measures.

Here are the 8 simple ways to ensure shoppers’ safety in 2020.

1. Thoroughly Sanitize the Store

After being closed for weeks, the store needs to be properly sanitized before opening it for business. Sanitize the front areas, from the shelves, handles, cash registers, walls, ceiling, windows, doors, to the back rooms such as offices, storage room as well as the restrooms.

Don’t forget the outside of the store such as the pavements and parking lots. Note that, you need to equip your employees with protective gear before they start sanitizing the place. You can start by checking out the specific guidelines from the sites of your local and state health authority on how to disinfect high touch surfaces. However, if you can afford to pay a professional cleaning service to do the work for you by any means do so.

2. Make Sure the Staff Adhere to Hygiene Rules

Everyone is advised to stay safe by washing their hands regularly with soap and water or to use hand sanitizers. Employees are also required to follow these hygienic rules without fail. Apart from that, for cashiers as well as the staff who handle merchandise, it is a requirement to wear disposable gloves at all times. Keep in mind, to ensure shoppers sanitize their hands once they walk in your store, place hand sanitizers at the entrance.

3. Equip Yourself with Personal Protective Gear

Employees are required to wear masks at all times while attending to their customers. There is a variety of masks from surgical versions that provides protection against bodily fluids to homemade ones such as scarves and bandanas. While the latter might not be effective as the surgical masks, they are still considered to provide protection according to the CDC. However, for store owners and employees, it is recommended you use the top-notch disposable masks. In addition, you should provide the same masks to your shoppers when they walk in your door.

When it comes to cash registers, you can install plexiglass shields to separate your employees and shoppers. Also, provide your staff with safety vests that have caution words like keep your distance and also enough uniforms to change in between shifts to ensure they stay germ-free.

4. Open up Product Points

Maybe your store isn’t big enough to hold a lot of shoppers when you put into effect the six-foot distance policy. However, that should not dampen your mood. You can come up with several techniques to ensure you attend to all your customers. First of all, request your customers to call in orders by phone or use the Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPIS) method. What about the new customers who walk in the store? There are several ways to attend to them; you can request them to wait in a certain area for other shoppers to be done with their shopping. However, if they are in a hurry, request them to briefly browse what they need, place the order with the cashier, and wait for a sales associate to pick the items for them.

5. Introduce Other means of Payments

To avoid the exchange of money or handling of credit cards between the shoppers and cashiers, it is wise to introduce other means of payment. One of the ideal methods is the mobile phone payment which is suitable for BOPIS customers as well as in-store ones. As for credit cards, the cashier can request the customer to read out to them the information thus avoiding touching it.

6. Offer Delivery Services

Offering delivery services to your customers does not only keep your store running efficiently but also helps reduce the spread of coronavirus. This kind of service ensures your customers get what they need in the comfort of their homes. Make the elderly, pregnant women as well as the mothers nursing young ones a priority. If you feel your employees are becoming overwhelmed with the deliveries, you can put aside certain days where you choose to deliver to only certain areas. It might also be a good idea to encourage your staff to drop off the purchased stuff on their way home to the customers living in the same area as them.

7. Shipping

When it comes to shipping you don’t have to be operating an e-commerce site to be able to ship goods to your customers. Just like you operate a BIPOS, you can also encourage your customers to order the items by phone and ship to them via services such as FedEx and UPS. Another way is by using your delivery service to customers near you. These services can be offered free of charge in case you are delivering within your area or you can charge them a small fee if you are using other delivery services.

8. Encourage Social Distancing

Practicing social distancing should be your number one priority when it comes to your employees as well as the customers.  Make sure they keep the six feet rule between them at all times by using tape to mark on the floor to avoid customers being close to each other. If your store is wide enough, you can make some changes by making aisles one way to reduce foot traffic thus creating more distance. What’s more, you can invest in a counting system that uses sensors at the entrance areas to ensure you limit the number of customers coming in.

Keep in mind, most of these measures can be used even after the pandemic is over and we have gone back to our normal lives.

Retailers deal with different types of customers on a daily basis. From the in and out shoppers, chatty shoppers, to the wanderers, among others, your employees will have to be on their guard on what kind of characters are walking into the store.

By recognizing the type of shopper they are dealing with, they will be in a better position to respond quickly and appropriately to ensure they appease the customers. To help you do this we have compiled a list of the 7 types of customers in your midst and how to deal with them.

1. The in- and out Customer

There are customers who already know what they want in a store and all they do is walk in, pick the items, and leave. Since they have already made up their mind on what to purchase the best way to deal with these characters is get out of their way.  If they have any questions, answer them straight away without trying to change their mind to buy any other products.

As they are already in a hurry, you can make the shopping process simple by assisting them to a less busy counter where checkout will be quick. If all the checkout counters have a long line, use your POS system to check them out. Note that, another way to cater to the customer on a mission is to offer online purchases but in-store pickups.

2. Well-Informed Shopper/Research Shopper

Another common type of customer you will come across is the well-informed shoppers who have researched the products they are interested in before even walking into the store. Meaning they have read product descriptions, check reviews, and compared prices beforehand. Therefore, the best way to connect with these customers is to get in front of them while in the research period.

Start by making sure they get detailed information about your store, products, and services through different channels. This might be your social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram as well as other sites like Tripadvisor or Yelp. Don’t forget your website needs to be updated regularly too. Also, if you get any positive reviews, do thank the customers and if it is any negative reviews, apologize to the customer who wrote it down then address the matter immediately.

Beck to the in-store situation, when you come face to face with this type of customer, first acknowledge their expertise and then listen to what they have to say. Afterward, ask them if you can help them by answering any question they might have and assist them from there.

3. The Chatty Shopper

Unlike the in and out customers, they are people who love chatting up employees while shopping. This type of shoppers is great to be around for a while but might start irritating you especially if the store is busy. However, you should learn to be an active listener and never show these characters they are boring to avoid losing them as customers. Even when you find you don’t have time to listen to their stories or need to attend to other customers, find a polite way to excuse yourself as you leave them to their shopping.

4. The Wanderer

There is no store that doesn’t have this type of customer. Mostly found wondering around the store without any intention of buying anything, you should try to make them feel at home by acknowledging their presence with a simple greeting. Afterward, you can ask politely if there is anything in particular they are looking for and if they say they are just browsing, just back off.

Don’t push them towards making any purchase but just let them know you are available if they have any questions. Keep in mind, if they do ask any questions respond with accurate answers. However, there can be some changes in your store you can implement to make the wanderers be active customers.

First of all, you might change the physical layout of the store by placing the best and most profitable products on the entrance. Secondly, you can put the easy to grab items at arm’s reach to encourage them to purchase when browsing. Promotional products are also another great idea for impulse buyers where some of them might be.

5. Regular Customer

There is nothing more retailers love than regular customers. Known to make your store successful, this type of customer should be made to feel special every time they come to the store. The simple gesture should be mentioning their name while greeting them, smiling more pleasantly when around them, and even making a point of informing them first of any new product you may have.

Aside from that, you can offer them a generous loyalty program or invite them to store events strictly meant for loyal customers. Giving them free gifts as well as discounts is also a great way of appreciating them. Note that this not only makes them feel special but they get to bring new customers through word of mouth and social media.

6. Angry Demanding Customer

Every retailer’s goal is to make their customers happy but that is not always the case. Valid complaints are understandable but they are customers who are looking for reasons to be upset no matter how minor the problem is. However, no matter how you might dread dealing with these customers, you will need to listen to them calmly and come up with a solution. Always remember, the solution might not be what the customer expected but if you know it’s the right one, stand your ground to avoid being forced to make any deal.

7. Bargain Hunter

Love them or hate them, bargain hunters are here to stay and they always have one thing in their mind, the price of the product. They are always looking for the lowest price in products and are willing to shop until they find it. Nevertheless, just like other types of customers, there are ways you can deal with them.

The first step is by persuading them the products you are selling are of high quality and will save them money in the long run. Another way to change their mind about buying your products no matter the price is offering a better guarantee of the product. If that doesn’t work, then point out any sale promotions and deals you might have at the store. Additionally, offering flat discounts if they spend a specific amount of money can also get them interested in purchasing your products.

So, what type of customers does your store attract most and are you ready to implement the above tactics on how to deal with them?

Did you know that according to research conducted by PWC more than 80% of shoppers are willing to spend more for great customer experience?  Yes, that’s how highly customer shopping experience is valued. Aside from how the employees engage with the customers, checkout lines are also an important factor in how the shoppers perceive the store services. The mood of the store from the interior design to the music played can also impact how much a customer will be willing to spend.

 

With this and much more, it is important that stores continue finding ways to improve the customer shopping experience. That’s why in this post we will share the above points in details as well as add new ones to enable you to make your customers shopping experience memorable in a positive way.

1. Train Your Staff to Care

Unlike online stores, brick and mortar store requires staff to physically engage with customers.  First of all, train them to be active listeners as well as good communicators. Aside from that, let them be better informed of the products they are selling to be able to answer the customers’ questions. That said it’s more likely the shopper has researched the products online and it will be embarrassing when your staff doesn’t know anything about the products.

Note that, since it is hard to memorize every single detail of the products, you should equip the staff with the latest technology. This will enable them to easily access any information concerning the products, customer purchase history, find the location of the product as well as real-time stock level. In the end, remember that happy staff leads to satisfied customers, therefore, ensure the staff is working in a friendly environment and feel appreciated.

2. Minimize the Checkout Time

Everyone’s in a hurry these days and it does not help when your customers wait in line for long.  No matter how busy the store might be shoppers get frustrated when they stand for more than five minutes due to slow and outdated payment methods or just slow and tired cashiers. To avoid your customers leaving your store to a more hassle-free competition store you need to find ways to minimize the checkout time.

One of the solutions are investing a modern point of sale system which is both fast and simple to use which will enable the checkout to be more quickly and efficiently. If the store is busy especially in the holiday season or due to any promotional sales, you should equip the sales associates with iPad systems to cater to shoppers away from the traditional checkout point. Lastly, mobile payment is another way to minimize the line.

3. Make the Store Friendly for Co-Shoppers/Kids

It is so easy for retail stores to be concerned about the shoppers that they forget the other two types of people accompanying them. One of them is co-shoppers while others are the kids. When we talk about the co-shoppers we basically mean the husbands, wives, boyfriend, and girlfriends of the actual customers as well as other relatives or friends. Since the co-shoppers and kids can be a bit irritating to the actual customers especially if they are impatient, you need to consider how to change this situation.

Start by providing a relaxed and comfortable area for them to enable the actual customers to shop without any worry. For the adults, there are many ways to keep them occupied such as having a television on the area, provide various magazines as well as free WIFI.  What you don’t know is that since most people own smartphones, the co-shoppers get to keep themselves busy surfing the internet that they forget how long the shoppers have been away. On the other hand, they can start checking out the in-store products and their prices thus deciding to get something for themselves too.

As for the kids, entertain them by providing them with a few boxes of crayons and some papers to color. Also, a train set or a couple of cars as well as dolls will also keep them occupied. TV is another way to keep older children from getting bored. Just remember, to make sure the parents feel at ease, have some friendly staff around the area to keep an eye on the kids until the parents are done shopping.

4. Host Events

There is nothing great than bringing customers together with the intention of socializing and having fun and hosting events in your store is one of them. Note this, in a recent survey, it was recorded that nearly 60% of consumers are interested in in-store events, especially where free sampling is provided. Even if you own a store that doesn’t sell edibles you still can partner with a related business willing to let the customers sample their foods.

Additionally, you can host a kid’s event especially if you own a kid store that sells toys, clothing’s or shoes. On that day you can host a face painting event or a reading session for the kids. Use these events to collect email addresses of the parents and guardians or share your social media pages with them and request them to follow you.

5. Engage with Customers

Most retailers think social media platforms are the only way to engage with customers. But truth be told, you need to extend your engagement with customers beyond that. You need to engage them with surveys as well as encourage ratings and reviews. If you receive some negative reviews don’t get offended but reach out to the customers and address the issue to avoid making the same mistake again.

When it comes to the atmosphere of the store, you can also engage with the customers by making your interior designs more welcoming, playing cool music as well as shifting the products to encourage discovery, just make sure when you do this, you have an attendant or a sign showing where you relocated the other product. Remember this; building a sense of excitement will surely change your customer experience for the better.

Conclusion

We hope you now understand how a customer in-store experience is important and will use the above points to improve your store for the better. Invest in your customers and by the end of the day you will have happy loyal customers who won’t hesitate to spread the word of your great store to their relatives and friends.