Every retail owner understands the importance of creating a positive customer experience. Online shopping has given the average customer more options than ever before, so in order to stand out, personalised service is a must.
This gives the retail industry a unique opportunity, particularly with millennials who value experiences over things. (If you’re interested, we explored this more in this other post). In fact, studies have found that 50% of millennials prefer brick-and-mortar stores to online shopping.
Technology makes it easier and more efficient for retail stores to provide top-notch customer service. Employees can interact with customers and anticipate their needs with more ease. Let’s look at a few retail tech solutions that can create a better customer experience.
Manage your finances
Technology makes it easier to accept payments, manage invoices, and manage your day-to-day bookkeeping. When you aren’t spending all your time dealing with paperwork, you’ll have more time to focus on your customers.
Apps like Invoice2go for iPad let you quickly create invoices and purchase orders and you can send them to suppliers instantly from the app. And you can add a PayPal button to the invoice so customers can pay within minutes.
Xero is an accounting app that lets you manage your books even when you’re on the go. You can upload receipts, manage expenses, and track how much money is coming in at any given point. And best of all, you can manage your bank accounts and credit cards from a single platform.
Better communication with employees
If you and your employees aren’t on the same page, your customers will feel the effects. And one of the biggest hassles for many store owners is scheduling their employees.
It’s hard enough to manage your own schedule, let alone have to juggle changing employee schedules and time off requests too. If this is you, then When I Work may be just what you need. It lets employees view their schedules and request time off right from their phones.
WhatsApp will make it easy for you to stay in the loop and communicate with your employees. It’s similar to Facebook messenger but no one has to join Facebook in order to use it. Your employees can let you know if there are any problems with the store or issues that come up with a customer.
Choose the right background music
Did you know that background music changes the experience customers have in your store? 71% of customers believe that background music creates a better atmosphere.
And beyond a powerful tool for enhancing customer experience, the right music can even affect how customers move and spend within your store. For example, one HUI Research study (which we unpack in this blog post) found that brand-matching music led to a 15.6% increase in customers buying additional items.
If you’d like to learn how music could maximise sales and the customer experience in your store, get in touch with us. We partner with stores like Aspinal of London and Karen Millen to provide music service that doesn’t just sound distinct – but delivers results. See what we could do for you.
Find more on how we work here or request a free sampler here.
