In this time of retail (r)evolution, everyone is talking about how the future belongs to retailers with a great Customer Experience. Few people are talking about EXACTLY what that is. In this article, we will call out the SEVEN crucial moments in the Customer’s shopping experience that must be mastered by your staff.  Having trained more than 3,000 individual specialty retailers across 50 states, and 5 continents we have identified the SEVEN crucial moments in the Customer Experience. These moments WILL determine:

 -How long the customer stays in your store

 -How much the customer will spend

 -Your Net Promoter Score

 -If this shopper will return (stats tell us that customers typically  visit a store 4 times before purchasing)

 -If this customer becomes a lifetime customer

Without further ado: The first three of the SEVEN CRUCIAL moments in the Customer Experience.

1. First Impression

There are so many components that contribute to a customer’s first impression: Cleanliness, music, smells, lighting and the list goes on. For our purposes, let’s focus on the number one area of concern: Staff Behavior and body language. The ideal body language your customer should experience is staff members who are “busy but looking up”. That is, they’re not just looking at the customer and not busy (that feels like too much pressure), nor are they super busy and NOT looking up (ignored). You typically see this on display at your local grocery store in the produce section. There you see workers busy restocking fruit and vegetables, right along side shoppers. Both interact with each other. It’s welcoming and comfortable. Customers like it because help is readily available, but not pushy. Meanwhile, the overarching effect is that new, fresh product is currently being put on the shelves. You can create this every day in your store too. It’s a welcoming first impression. 

2.  Connecting

The number one complaint about retailers of all types is, “No one spoke to me”, or “No one helped me.” This is baffling to retailers because most try to at least greet customers when they enter the business. In fact, most customers almost immediately tell you, “I’m just looking.” So, why do they get so upset (and give you bad reviews) when you leave them alone. Usually, it’s because those customers don’t need any help when they first walk in. They’re getting acclimated to the environment and scoping out the lay of the land. However, when they do find something interesting, they want someone nearby to notice and offer assistance. Failure to connect when the customer is ready is a primary contributor to low conversion rates in brick-and-mortar retail. The goal is not just to greet customers—the goal is to connect!

3.  Building Trust

Trust-building may have become a lost art. Even so, if you are recommending products, services, solutions to me (especially if they are expensive), I will need to trust you. The challenge is to build trust inside the fast-paced environment of retail. Here are some tips:

 -Be authentic. Any attempt to manipulate or be insincere will quickly put an end to your trust-building efforts.

 -Ask open-ended questions. In fact, this is a good strategy for your life. Being curious is a guaranteed way to learn more, build rapport and show you care. Remember, “Who, What, When, Why, Where and How”. 

 -Listen. Monitor yourself. Who’s doing all the talking? You should be speaking half as much as your customer. It’s hard to comprehend this truth: You build more credibility by listening well than you do by bragging about yourself and touting your accomplishments. 

 -Reflect. State what you heard. Make sure you understand. The feeling of being heard is very impactful for establishing trust. 

You’re off to a great start here. If your team can focus on these crucial moments in your Customer’s Experience, you’ll be on your way to creating a loyal following of repeat customers, friends and fans. 

Next week, we’re only focusing on one of the crucial moments: Fitting. This is different for each type of retail (Test Drive for auto sales, Dressing rooms for apparel, Fit Process for footwear and running, Test ride for bicycles), so we’ll dive deep into Fitting. It’s super important that you get it right. This is the moment that your customer experience becomes custom.