HOW TO APPEAL TO THE 21ST-CENTURY CUSTOMER
Don't gamble on customer satisfaction by guessing. The retail landscape is dynamic and there are new trends appearing at every corner. But what remains is the fact that there are numerous innovative ways to attract, retain and impress customers as the retail industry continues to reinvent itself.
To make profitable decisions in your retail business, you must understand the modern consumer's requirements and priorities. Here are five ways you can appeal to the 21st-century customer behaviour:
1. Invest in Sustainability
Modern consumers value sustainable goods and services. As environmental issues are a leading concern in the world right now, investing in sustainable practices in your business is a great way to build trust and loyalty among customers by showing them the effort you make.
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Choose eco-friendly practices that benefit your customers.
Start from somewhere – for example, from switching to alternatives to plastic packaging, such as recycled cardboard or paper. Eco-friendly campaigns are also a great way to attract customers. Organize events such as planting trees, cleaning the nearby areas, or collecting plastic for recycling. Furthermore, you can also boost the interest in such kinds of events by benefiting your customers in some way: offer promo codes and discounts for everyone who decides to participate in the initiative.
A vivid example of how you can create a campaign to promote sustainability is our customer, Zelen Bio. The store chain is committed to the mission of making healthy food accessible to everyone and the sustainable practice they chose is the campaign “Save Food”: clients can buy products which will soon expire for a lower price. The aim of the campaign is to reduce food waste and convince customers that a sustainable way of living is easily achievable.
Sustainable practices often include some sort of digital transformation and technological updates. After the leader in the production and distribution of bio products – Smart Organic – embraced innovation with the all-in-one software solution of Microsoft Dynamics 365 LS Central, implemented by NavTech Group, sustainability became an integral part of their everyday work tasks. Read how Smart Organic's team managed to reduce paper waste with the additional EDI integration as part of the solution provided by NavTech Group.
2. Personalize the Shopping Experience
If you want to create a loyal client base, recognizing the importance of each individual’s needs is key. With a system that can give you a real-time overview of your sales, you can tailor your offering based on your customers’ preferences and personalize the shopping experience. Personalization can be achieved through different means:
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Understand your customers.
Use customer insights to decide on your marketing strategies. Use data on their age, gender, geographical locations, most frequently bought items, to define your target personas. Imagine what happens when you do not know your audience - it is as if you are acting blindly, which can only lead to uninformed decisions and great losses.
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Create a loyalty program.
Customers value stores where they can take advantage of promo offers, discounts and gifts, especially if they are exclusive ones. Give your customers rewards that will stimulate them to shop from you again. Make sure that your system tracks the tendencies in a buyer’s shopping behavior which will enable you to create special deals for loyal members.
Bulmag, a leading Bulgarian supermarket chain, is a seasoned professional when it comes to having a loyalty program designed to retain customers and address their specific needs. Customers can shop just by using the money collected in the card or even go on holiday with it. Bulmag's loyalty program was successfully integrated into LS Central and the POS system, which brings great benefits to their team as the program is accessible at every touchpoint, easy to navigate and benefits both in-store and online customers.
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Use the power of BI and AI.
Business Intelligence tools help you gain in-depth insights into patterns in your customers’ behavior. By summarizing large masses of data, history of sales, and trends, Business Intelligence tools make it easier to understand your audience and have all the information necessary right in front of you.
3. Put Effort into Bringing the “Modern” to the Modern Consumer
Modern consumers value memorable shopping experiences that incorporate innovative technologies and contemporary practices. For example, creating special campaigns or events in collaboration with other brands or influencers is an interactive way to include your customers. Now that social media dictates all trends, it is important to also think about your presence on there. Giveaways, promo offers and discounts are a great way to foster loyalty and engagement so that your business gains recognition and you are in line with trends.
Furthermore, by upgrading to more technologically innovative approaches, your customers can experience the real modern 21st-century shopping experience. For example, use electronic shelf labeling to ensure price accuracy and complete control, especially during peak seasons with discounts, such as Christmas and Black Friday, or have digital smart screens that display product information and advertisements.
4. Prioritize the Omnichannel Experience
The new generation of buyers demands not only the development of your e-Commerce platform, but also the adoption of an omnichannel strategy, so customers will be able to shop seamlessly both online and offline. Find a way to bridge the gap between online and in-store shopping and deliver consistently good shopping experience. But how? Here are some suggestions:
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Flexible delivery options.
Don’t limit your customers to the expensive delivery costs. Offer them flexible options such as Click-and-Collect and give them the choice to pick up their order from the most convenient location for them.
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Item availability.
Keep your customers informed about the availability of an item by making stock visible online. Your system should allow you to accurately display information about stock availability for each location, so that your customers will not be frustrated when going into your store only to find out that their desired item is out of stock.
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Make the return process easy.
Enable your customers to return items bought online at any of your physical stores. Prioritize their convenience and the speed of service you provide.
5. Ensure Fast Customer Service
You would not want to have frustrated customers waiting in long lines in your store. The slow checkout process may your customers and leave a negative impression on them. Never forget that your customers’ convenience should be placed in the center: invest in modern approaches that ensure fast customer service.
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Self-checkout services.
Self-checkout kiosks significantly speed up the checkout process and are especially preferred by modern consumers, who are eager to receive what they want easily and without waiting too much. You can have a mix between traditional and self-checkout lanes so your customers can make the choice which way would be more convenient for them.
A unified retail platform like LS Central will connect all departments of your business – sales, financials, eCommerce, inventory management, supply chain, customer loyalty and more. Dealing with separate systems often poses the risks of data inaccuracy, unreliability, and delayed decisions. However, as LS Central unifies all aspects of business management into a single platform, you gain full visibility, make swift data-driven decisions, and speed up all processes to ensure excellent customer service.
Choose NavTech Group as your trusted partner in the implementation of LS Central. We offer solutions tailored to your specific industry needs and requirements, and we pay attention even to the smallest details. We can make you part of the modern business landscape.
Contact us for a demo or consultation.
Source: 5 ways to appeal to the modern consumer and boost sales in your store
