Business TipsMake it easy to buyOne easy business tip for shops, supermarkets, hardware stores, gift shops, etc, is they should have carry baskets everywhere, not just at the entrance! Why? Here is something that happens everyday in business all over the world.
You are driving by the supermarket and think to yourself, Milk, I need milk. So you finally find a park and you rush into the supermarket. You glance down at the carry baskets and in a split second you think, No I don’t need a carry basket, I only need milk. You then pick up the milk and then think, oh I need some bread too, so you grab that as well. You pass the sauce and remember you need that too. Now your hands are really full and you realize that you need several more items, but you can’t carry them. 
The supermarket has just lost sales. They might have three thousand products in the store, but humans only have two hands and can only carry a handful of items.
Solution ……… easy, have carry baskets/bags (Maybe even trolleys.) positioned throughout the store. More people now do not plan their meals as much, so that means more impulse buying – more sales – more profit – this is only if they can pick up the items and get them to the register!
Tip – the carry baskets that are at the front entrances should be on the right hand side if possible, as most people are right handed and it’s easier to pick up.
Always give the biggest donutYou are at your favourite bakery and are feeling hungry. While waiting to order, you scan the glass display cabinet full of cakes and rolls, the donuts catch your attention, particularly the large donut right at the front of the stack.
The counter attendant calls out “Next please” and you point at the stack and in particular the biggest donut and order politely “One donut please.” The attendant grabs the tongs and quickly picks the donut at the end which happens to also be the smallest and least appealing of the stack. You feel disappointed you didn’t get the one you wanted, even though it’s only a donut. Disappointed is not good for repeat business.
What would have happened if we turn back this scenario and the attendant picked the donut that you were pointing to and he/she said “Here’s a nice one for you.”, or “Which donut would you like?”
She has made you feel like your special and it didn’t cost the company or the attendant anything. Are you likely to go back to that bakery if you felt special? For sure!
This type of service can be used in many businesses and not just the food industry. Imagine you buy some clothes and the attendants says, “I noticed that has some threads loose on this jumper, let’s get you another one.” It could be the freshest, hottest, coldest, newest, unscratched, more solid, lighter, more durable, etc. Whatever the product train your staff to think would I give that one to my best friend?
Summary – Always give the biggest donut.
The crucial mistake of taking it awayFor fish shops, lolly/nut shops, deli's, fruit and butcher shops, or any shop that might use scales to weigh food.If the customer orders 1kg of cold meat, instead of putting a heap of meat on the scales eg: 1.5kg then taking it away until it comes back to 1kg you should put small amounts on the scales and build up to the correct weight. As by doing the other way the customer may feel cheated, like that they are not getting value for his/her money, because you are taking away what they think is theirs. It is better to put a little bit on the scales and then add to it until you get your desired weight. A simple business tip, now the customer feels he is getting more value for money as the stack grows. Add it, don't take it!
Are you open for business?
Where are the shop hours? The customer then thinks, maybe I will wait 5 minutes to see if it opens then, no, I don’t have time to wait. Maybe, I will just go to the competitors, at least I know they open at 8:00 am. Get the picture.
When you do have your hours on the shop window, make sure there is someone there to open on time. This means there needs to be someone there to open the doors at the opening time or before. Not having them arrive right on opening time of the shop at 9:00 and then organizing the shop for 10 minutes, and then officially opening the shop at 9:15.
I have arrived at a video shop at 9:55 am that was due to open at 10:00 am. The owner was setting up the shop the door was locked, he just ignored me until it was well after 10:00 am. I did go in the video shop when the doors opened, but I haven’t been back since! Why not make the person feel important and go to the extra effort and open up a few minutes early if there is someone waiting. If it’s not a security risk, open your doors and use common sense.
Convert your customersGo to a typical hardware shop and try to find the right drill bit/size or you are after or a certain size bolt. Chances are that you will find one will differ in measurement then the one you are after. (Such as metric or imperial) You look around the shop for someone to help you, but you can’t find the clerk, so you put the item back on the shelf, because you didn’t want to buy it and then take it home and realise it was the wrong size.You walk out of the store without buying anything. The store has just lost a sale.
How easy would it be for a few conversation tables to be put in the shop? This would take the frustration out of the shopping and not being able to find the right size and leaving the shop empty handed, feeling frustrated.
This idea can also be used for shoes, clothes stores, etc. If you have a lot of international tourists and with all the different sizes in countries all over the world, a conversion table will help the customer make the right choice. This will help reduce refunds as well.
Make it easy for the customer to buy or they will go somewhere else!
Scents for more money!I have heard that part of the customer shopping experience is about 3% smell. Even though it is only a small percentage of the customer experience, it all adds up. This would be even more prominent in a food shop or restaurant.
Think about it if you went to a pizza shop and it smelt of fresh pizza cooking, yummy, it makes your even more hungrier. As opposed to the same pizza shop, however, as you walked in all you could smell is the foul smell of rotten food in the garbage bins that had been their for two weeks, drifting through the shop. Yuk, if there is a foul smell something tells me than the food would not be so good either, I think I will take my business to another shop.
Fresh flowers or essential oils can liven up the shop. Some essential oils can supposedly increase or decrease your appetite, others may help change your moods, such as put you in a relaxed state. You can even buy fragrances that smell like food. Obviously, pick and choose your scents, you may like burning incense in your clothes shop, but if your target market is elderly shoppers, then they may not like it. Match your fragrance to your desired shopping experience for the customer.
Be careful that you do not get used to the smell and have it too overpowering. People with a sensitive nose or sick people may find the fragrance too strong. When I was a sale representative I used to service a chocolate manufacturer. I would go into the shop and a very strong, but luscious smell would hit me, I asked one on the staff there do you get sick of the chocolate smell? he replied, “What smell?” Tip – You can purchase automatic fragrance dispenser that spray perfume at set times. You might program it to come on fifteen minutes before the shop opens and then spray at every half an hour until the shop closes. Good for restrooms and any where you might have unpleasant smells.
I can't hear you
Do not leave the music to chance as once again it is part of the whole shopping experience. You might have a great location, good products and terrific marketing, but if customers come into the shop and the music is blaring grunge music, that is making the walls shake, you may send granny out of the shop in a hurry. Hmmm, another lost sale. Solution, match the type of music to your customer and the atmosphere you want to convey.
If the music is right for your demographic, but you have it too loud, this can make the experience, uncomfortable for the shopper as well. You may like it loud, but not every one does, so it best to have it quieter than louder.
Do not rely on your staff to choose the music and volume. Here is an example of what normally happens. Staff member Joe, works the afternoon in your hairdressing shop, he is 35 years likes the talkback and news radio stations, he has the volume okay.
Mary the second staff member is 19 years old and works the weekend. She loves loud heavy metal music. Both may not be appropriate for your desired client experience, so explain to your staff why only this type of music is allowed to be played. The volume control should be set and left, maybe even a pen mark on the turn or slide volume. The volume should then not be turned up past this point.
A point to consider is your shoppers, they might change during the day or even week. You might get a certain type of shopper who comes in the morning, then another different type who comes in late in the afternoon, or even a different type of shopper on the weekend. Having the radio playing in your shop gives you no control on what is played, such as your competitors advertising or offensive material and maybe even the hourly news reading may dampen the mood of shopping and spending.
Did you know? - Some shopping centres have had trouble with young teenage loiterers outside their centre, so they started playing classical music through the speakers which has deterred the kids hanging around the entrance area.
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Disclaimer - The articles aim to provide general ideas. Neither the authors nor publisher shall take any responsibility for any loss or damages occasioned to any person or organisation acting or refraining from action as a result of this information. As always the advice of a competent legal solicitor, accountant or other professional advice should be sought.
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