Creating a great customer experience is one of the most important steps to bringing in new customers and retaining your current ones. But how do you prioritise the customer experience?

Our team presented the following tips in a recent Webinar. To get access to the full webinar, click here. Otherwise, keep reading and enjoy the following tips.

Focus on Ease of Access

When Podium polled consumers for the State of the Business report, one of the most important questions was why customers choose to shop where they do. 60% of consumers say that ease of business is among the top reasons. This finding ties into a Harvard Business Review report that said reducing customer effort is the top contributor to customer loyalty. You can take advantage of this by creating a seamless experience that doesn’t seem out of the customers’ way. Do what you can to create a frictionless shopping experience.

We saw plenty of examples of this during the pandemic. And just because the pandemic is over, that doesn’t mean things like kerbside pickup or various ways of ordering and collecting merchandise should disappear. Some customers will want to keep those for their convenience.

customer experience stats

Don’t Focus on Prices

As a brick-and-mortar store, your main selling point shouldn’t be your price. You want to be in the ballpark to be competitive, but don’t try to offer the best price. You are likely to lose to online retailers with lower overhead costs. If you focus too much on price, you will keep reducing your profits. Instead, focus on the other positive actions on this list.

Turn Inventory Challenges into a Positive

All businesses, including local brick and mortar ones, face inventory gaps due to supply chain issues. But you can turn elements of this into a positive with some creativity.

→Use Challenges as Touchpoints

Use supply chain gaps and delays as a touchpoint with customers. Reach out to them with updates about delays or changes to your inventory. When using these challenges as touchpoints, try to avoid mass messages. Instead, keep things more customer-specific, such as updates on orders or products they may be interested in.

When talking to the customers, let them know how you are handling the situation. The simple fact that they know you have a plan will reassure them and improve the customer experience.

→Offer Other Products That Are in Stock–And Potentially Boost Interest in Them eWhen sending texts, play up the personal connection. Introduce yourself by name, such as “Hi, this is [Name] from [Business]. We have a great new product I think you’d love!”

Take Advantage of Being Local

The good news is that as a local business, you already have an advantage. The Podium State of the Local Business Report found that 70% of consumers report visiting at least one local business a week. Meanwhile, 90% say they will go out of their way to do business locally.

But you also need to offer a good customer experience to take advantage of these benefits. So, keep the following tips in mind to take advantage of being local.

→Use Your Knowledge of the Community e

One of the reasons that people shop local is to get advice from experts, so take advantage of this. Put your experience to use to make recommendations to customers and offer guidance. A board game store, for example, can offer suggestions based on other games the customer likes. Or a craft store could help customers decide which supplies work best for their projects.

Use Tech to Boost Efficiency and Overcome the Staff Shortage

A common challenge in retail is the lack of staff. But most retailers say that the staff they have are great; they simply don’t have enough. You can overcome this challenge by making the most of your team’s time with efficient tools and tech.

→Webchat

Compared to talking on the phone, webchat delivers a 7:1 efficiency ratio. In other words, one person can handle seven webchats at once.

→Email Marketing and Marketing Automation Software

Use email marketing and marketing automation software to boost efficiency in messaging. You can even incorporate other channels, letting customers reach you on their preferred channel.

→Phone Technology, Including Texting

When done right, phone technology can also dramatically increase efficiency. This is especially true with texting, as you get that same 7:1 ratio from webchat. Consider that businesses that in this tech see an increase of about 60% in enquiries overall and texts.

The Bottom Line

Retailers looking to prioritise the customer experience should start by making the experience as easy as possible. Emphasise your interactions with the local community, harness the power of texting, and put tech to good use to maximise the efficiency of your team. You should notice improved customer engagement and loyalty because of the better customer experience.

How Brick and Mortar Retailers Can Prioritize Customer Experience

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