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MARKETING<br />
QUEUE MANAGEMENT<br />
Online version:<br />
ixtenso.com/go/34174<br />
Entertaining with great bargains<br />
We need to manage perceived versus actual<br />
wait times better by finding ways to either<br />
distract or divert our customers’ attention<br />
away from the wait. Think of Disney, or use<br />
technology to inform customers how long the<br />
wait might be. Shoppers need to know what to<br />
expect while they are waiting in line.<br />
Granted, shoppers are more distracted than<br />
ever using their smartphones while waiting<br />
in line – checking their Instagram account or<br />
comparing prices online. It keeps getting harder<br />
for front-end categories to attract the customer’s<br />
attention.<br />
As incredible as it may seem, 70 percent of<br />
what we buy are impulse purchases! Use promotions<br />
with a sense of urgency, especially<br />
during the holiday season: ”Buy it now before<br />
it’s gone!” Think of Zara’s successful business<br />
model. The <strong>retail</strong>er always offers something<br />
new, unique and exciting at the right price,<br />
with changes at least every couple of weeks.<br />
Many shoppers are influenced by social<br />
media, mobile apps or marketing campaigns.<br />
Keep your customers updated on novelties,<br />
promotions and limited edition products. And<br />
thanks to location-based marketing options,<br />
you can reach your customers’ smartphones<br />
when they’re in the store.<br />
Personalization & personnel<br />
And last but not least, <strong>retail</strong>ers need to train<br />
their associates to become problem solvers<br />
and use data to personalize the checkout, or<br />
soon they will be find themselves replaced<br />
by self-checkouts. Consumers ”buy” the front<br />
staff before they buy a product. If the sales<br />
associates at a supermarket are not up to<br />
customers’ expectations, they’ll shop somewhere<br />
else.<br />
It is easy to personalize the shopping experience<br />
in a small town where sales associates<br />
are neighbors and acquaintances, but it becomes<br />
more challenging in a big city. That is<br />
why <strong>retail</strong>ers have to make great use of data<br />
to get to know their customers better. That’s<br />
also how sales associates get the information<br />
they need to personalize the shopping experience.<br />
Shoppers want to feel welcome, heard<br />
and understood.<br />
Retailers will compete for empathetic employees<br />
capable of building long-lasting relationships<br />
driven by loyalty; they should reward<br />
them accordingly.<br />
It is a nice touch to hire experienced seasonal<br />
employees to do a fantastic job at gift-wrapping.<br />
If you set up a well-equipped designated<br />
gift-wrapping station in the checkout zone,<br />
never use the cash desk itself as a wrapping<br />
station. It can be the kiss of death if the checkout<br />
process slows down during the holiday because<br />
of that.<br />
And for the icing on the cake: Don’t forget<br />
to reward your customers and thank them for<br />
their visit with an eco-friendly, fun and precious<br />
bag to extend their visit. After all, your<br />
customers can become your greatest brand<br />
ambassadors.<br />
”Retailers will compete<br />
for empathetic<br />
employees capable of<br />
building long-lasting<br />
relationships.”<br />
AIDA MASDEU<br />
Author: Aida Masdeu,consumer behavior<br />
analyst & shopper marketing consultant<br />
<strong>retail</strong> <strong>trends</strong> | Issue 3/<strong>2019</strong> 43
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