A better experience increases revenue
According to numerous studies, more than 80% of consumers are willing to pay more for a better experience, and 91% of shoppers confirm that customer service affects their brand choice. Based on the experience we have with our luxury brand partners, let us guide you through the best practices and standards these companies have implemented in retail, partly following the insights we provide them through research.
Entrance
Many luxury boutiques try to impress customers from the beginning by hiring staff to help open and close doors, whether security or a dedicated person. For mass-market brands, automatic doors are essential. While not extraordinary, they are appreciated by customers, especially those carrying bags and packages.
Free beverages
Many premium automotive, jewelry, and fashion stores offer a wide range of beverages (tea, coffee, wine, water) during visits or sales consultations. Some brands, like Nanushka, Patagonia, Biarritz, and Kachorovska, have gone further and opened exclusive coffee corners inside their boutiques. These coffee points enrich the customer experience with new emotions and positive memories. While people don't go into a clothing store specifically for coffee, the presence of a coffee corner can encourage them to stay longer and look at more fashion items.
Fitting Experience
Many luxury apparel brands offer customers the chance to use a mannequin before going to the dressing room, allowing them to experiment with different outfit combinations. For instance, Kohl's in the US mixes brands and uses mannequins as part of their brand inspiration. More progressive brands use virtual assistants to enhance the customer experience. Some fashion retail brands install screens close to the shelves, allowing customers to mix and observe different kinds of clothes they might find in the store.
How to Minimize Negative Customer Experience
In many mass-market stores, especially during afternoons and weekends, queues form next to the cashier zone. This can be particularly problematic when there is only one cashier zone and everyone, including children and their parents, needs to stay together.
Here are some tips to solve this challenge:
- Social Distancing: Place lines on the floor to help customers understand where to stand. This works!
- Offer Coffee: Providing a simple beverage can bring positive emotions to your customers, who might share their experience with friends. Imagine waiting your turn and being offered a cup of coffee, tea, or water. One member of the store team can do this every 20 minutes. Offering cups with lids avoids any issues.
- Equip Staff with iPads or Install Self-Checkout: Staff can approach clients in the queue with an iPad, scan selected items, and go through the preorder process, saving the client's time at the cashier. If iPads and software creation are too much, consider self-checkout like ZARA does in some stores. Customers can pay via mobile and remove the security tag themselves.
Lack of Knowledge = Poor Customer Service Experience
Clients may be extremely dissatisfied if your customer service can't handle objections, claims, or unique situations. Many call centers and e-commerce platforms use prewritten scripts that employees must adhere to when irate customers phone or email. Responding to a disgruntled customer with, "Your request is very important to us, but we can't solve your problem," can lead to losing that client forever. Moreover, they may share their negative experience with others through reviews on Google or social media.
Our recommendations:
- Establish procedures for dealing with unhappy customers.
- Use chatbots and live chats on the website to provide immediate feedback.
- Send personalized video messages to new customers.
- Send a personal thank you email when a customer spends over 100 Euros.
Create a Mobile App
Design an app that customers can't wait to use. Walmart and other retail giants have been personalizing the online clothing shopping experience for years. Customers can upload a photo of themselves to try on any of the 270,000+ goods available. Amazon offers virtual shoe try-ons with its reality service, released in August 2022. Macy's and Adidas have also experimented with virtual reality through Zeekit.
There are many more examples of how your company can improve the customer experience and simplify their purchase journey. COVID-19, AI, customer behavior, and other factors are driving a retail revolution daily.
If you want to know more or ask how to improve your customer service, contact our professionals for a tailored offer.