Top
10 Ways to Turn Off Customers
As individuals, we all have our own little pet
peeves. What may turn off one customer may not bother another. As retailers, we
can't afford to turn off a single customer and image is everything. Keeping our
stores neat and clean is not only easy to do; it is generally an inexpensive
way to attract customers and create a pleasant store atmosphere.
Take a look around your retail store. Do any
of the following situations exist? Here are ten ways your store may be turning
off customers:
1. Dirty Bathrooms
This customer pet peeve clearly deserves the number one spot on
this list. Retail store restrooms should always be sparkling clean, whether
they are open for public use or not. Make sure to stock the bathrooms with
plenty of paper products, soap, trash receptacles and clean it daily.
2. Messy Dressing Rooms
Keeping the dressing room area free of discarded hangers, tags
and empty packaging goes beyond creating a neat store appearance, it is also a
good step towards loss prevention. Take a quick look for out of place items
after each customer uses the dressing room.
3. Loud Music
Playing music in a retail store can help create a certain
atmosphere for our shoppers. Music that is too loud, inappropriate or of poor
quality can ruin a positive shopping experience.
4. Handwritten Signs
In this era of technology, there is no excuse for displaying
handwritten signage. It is too simple to print a sign from our computers or use
pre-printed signs. Printed signs simply look more professional and signs with
hard-to-read handwriting can be a customer turn-off.
5. Stained Floor or Ceiling Tiles
It is true, accidents happen. However, our customers don't have
to see them. Dirty carpet, stained flooring and ugly ceiling tiles can turn off
many shoppers. Sweeping, vacuuming and mopping should be done on a regular
basis. Consider hiring a professional cleaning crew to polish tile floors.
Replace stained portions of carpet and ceiling tiles where possible.
6. Burned-out or Poor Lighting
Replace any burned out light bulbs as soon as possible. Make
sure all customer areas of the store have ample lighting and take into
consideration shoppers with aging or less than perfect eyesight. Your store
should be well illuminated for all customers.
7. Offensive Odors
Customers understand if they visit a lawn and garden center they
will have to deal with the smell of fertilizer. The same goes for shoppers of a
feed supply store. Certain odors are understandable and may even appeal to the
customer's sense of smell. However, shoppers don't want to smell an employee's
lunch drifting across the store. Use neutralizers to combat any offensive
odors.
8. Crowded Aisles
Consumers like a selection but not if it means sacrificing
comfort while shopping. Be sure your store is designed to allow adequate space
between aisles and keep walkways free of merchandise. Cramped spaces can ruin a
shopping experience and turn off a customer.
9. Disorganized Checkout Counters
A stack of hangers, returned merchandise and sloppy work areas
behind the checkout is a huge customer turn-off. This particular area where a
customer's financial transaction is taking place should not show any signs of
disorganization. Like messy dressing rooms, a disorganized checkout counter can
lead to theft. Keep those register areas neat and tidy.
10. Lack of Shopping Carts/Baskets
Your type of retail shop
may not require a shopping cart or your store may be too small, but there's not
a single type of retailer that wouldn't need at least some sort of shopping
basket. If you hope for your customer to purchase more than one item in your
store, be sure to have an adequate supply of shopping carts or baskets on hand.
Article by: Maria
Working happily with
National Merchant Services
Happy Processing!!!
Article source: http://retail.about.com/od/storedesign/tp/store_donts.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment