This Episode: 3 Ways You Might Be Losing Customers
In this episode of Real Retail TV, I explore three reasons you might be losing customers. In retail, expectations are up and loyalty is down. It’s important to create a smooth and easy shopping experience for your customers to keep them close and keep them coming back.
What are your thoughts? Agree with me? Disagree? I would love to hear from you in the comments.
Good for you! You can do it!
Always love your Retail TV episodes.
I know the Coffee Issue in Vegas. I have Stayed at multiple properties. None of the have Coffee in room. I was just at Vegas Market and it would be my biggest complaint!
Thanks for your comment, Andrea!
Great video Bob. I can’t say it enough – store owners must be CUSTOMER focused. They must set appropriate expectations through their marketing promises, deliver through store merchandising and visual display, provide an empowered and engaged sales staff, be open hours that are convenient for the customer and keep on top of all the details.
One of the biggest mistakes I come across is that many store owners enter their store through the rear and hardly ever look at the front. It’s important to check the front every day to make sure you are presenting the best first impression possible with a neat, clean, well lighted and safe journey to your door.
How are you Anne!? Great point about seeing the front entry from the customer’s eyes every day!
Definitely true Bob! I stay open 1 hr after all the other shops and open my door no matter the weather for that hour so my shop appears that is obviously open. We always have 1-15 decent sales. Customers are constantly telling us how thankful they are that we are open. I go in at 10am on Sundays because the coffee shop near us is open & now that traffic comes through me for 2 hours before anyone else opens on the street & my Team comes in at noon and I leave. Easy Peasy$$
You know it, Marie!
What a great video, and so true! My shop is open 7 days a week, and until 6 pm on weekdays. I can’t tell you how many times customers have thanked me for being open when so many are closed (Sundays and Mondays). When I do my year end analytics, the percentage of sales on those two days, and between 4:30 and 6 pm, is a big chunk of my revenue.
Thanks for the proof, Laura!
Hello!
Curious what you would say to me….I am a Christian retail store inside a semi quiet mall. I tried being open Sundays for a year and except for the Christmas season didn’t make ends meet. How do I justify being open Sundays? Thanks and God bless!
Heidi, Bob here…
Better marketing. One of the most important things for you, as a retailers, to get clear on is the fact that you control your foot traffic. Marketing is what brings people in, so market your Sundays more aggressively. It takes a while, usually several months, to “train” your customers to remember you are open on Sundays, but it will be worth it.
Agreed, employee indifference not acceptable, inconsistent store hours are not acceptable, being inaccessible by being closed normal everyday people business hours, not acceptable.
I am guilty of not being able to train up employees to be able to fill my shoes. Always trying, my goals are very high, all of which revolve around taking care of the client.
Thank you.
You’re welcome, Julie. Thanks for the comment!
My business is one of the only shops in my community that is open 7 days a week. Many are closed on Tuesdays…guess what? Tuesdays are one of our busiest days of the week next to Saturday. We are open 10:30am-6:00pm, Mon.-Sat. and 11:00am-5:00pm on Sun, in a busy tourist coastal community on the Central Coast in California. If other businesses want to close or have very limited hours, then we are more than happy to fill the gap and enjoy the extra sales and visitors to our business! We will be celebrating our 15th business anniversary in a couple of weeks and our future looks very bright! Being open is the key, next to customer experience. Thank you Bob for this wonderful video and reminder.
You’re welcome, Adrianne. Happy anniversary! And thanks for the comment!
One of your best videos. I hope it wakes everybody up. Businesses cannot do enough to keep their customers and to get new ones. It is not easy out there! We all need the wake-up call. Customer service is at an all time low. I know it is hard to get great employees who really want to work. It is a challenge to all of us. It is hard to make money with increased cost in salaries, shipping costs, increased insurance prices etc.
Glad you liked the wake-up call, Vicki!
Love this! Ten years ago there were only a few retailers and restaurants open on Sundays in our downtown. Now, most are open and everyone benefits in a more vibrant shopping atmosphere!
You’re right, Nancy! Glad your downtown figured it out!
We had an experienced member of staff who called out ‘Silent Irritants’, those small things that annoy!
Thanks – great episode!
You’re welcome, Rosie!
Love this! We are now open 7 days a week, partially because of your advice, Bob! Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Kiersten! Good call!
oh how I agree! have been doing this retail thing for 48 years-amazes me how this new generation claims work/life balance to close their shops early or stay closed 1-2 days a week. hopefully the health of their families and children will prove them right in the choices they are making today.retail offers us all the blessing of “doing it our way”
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Cece.
Very helpful shared with my children who are taking on our business.
Way to go, Kathryn! Glad you shared.
Right on, Bob! Thank you!
So true.
Thanks, Cheryl!
Welcome, Peggy!