Cashing In: Merchandising Strategies to Increase Customer Loyalty and Engagement
As a retailer, your job involves a number of complex moving parts. Having every aspect of your store run smoothly can be a major challenge – and this doesn’t even take into consideration a plan for improvement. When it comes to customer loyalty and customer engagement, the best way to improve is by beefing up those merchandising strategies and making people even happier.
Some of these may seem like pretty common sense advice, but the reminder won’t hurt.
Firstly, start with a plan – don’t dive right into the deep end and expect results to float right to the top with you.
On the store floor, create displays that pair like items, or create a theme to encourage more interaction and sales. Take advantage of seasonal opportunities – summer is a big one and it is right around the corner! Pull on those heartstrings – create an emotional connection and consumers will feel a sense of attachment.
Experiential marketing is another great tactic, especially coming into the summer, to get customers thinking about what you are offering and to create a connection as well as to engage. For example, think about BBQ season and everything that comes with it – major upsell opportunities here.
People make a difference – you know this. Hiring the right employees, those who can demonstrate knowledge about your brand, and who display dedication and a commitment, are the ones who will be recognized by shoppers. This can help build a relationship with a customer when shopping, and encourage loyalty. That being said, when it comes to your busy season, or even those odd days that require extra staff, hiring a handful of employees might get the job done, but a merchandising company that offers people support can get the job done quickly and efficiently, so this might be an alternative to consider.
Keep the store clean. Another common sense tip, but we mean clean, organized and well stocked. Customers notice everything, really, and if they feel uncomfortable this registers and can impact their choice to return. Empty shelves have the same effect – think about the big box retailer that recently vacated Canada after just 2 years in business…
Perhaps not technically a merchandising strategy, but one that belongs on any customer engagement and customer loyalty list, is social media engagement. If customers are talking on social media, respond – never ignore a review, whether positive or negative. Engaging online shows your customers that you care and are committed and this goes a long way towards building customer loyalty.
When it comes to customer loyalty and engagement, merchandising strategies can go a long way towards improving your numbers. Want to get a plan in place? Call Marketsupport today at 1 877 421 5081.
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