Integrating a Customer-First Approach in a Demanding Retail Environment

A customer-first approach refers to organizations putting the customer at the centre of their decision-making, rather than products or services. According to Statista, 94% of customers who receive a positive experience are likely to purchase from the same retailer again. In such a highly competitive retail environment, and with consumers continually increasing their expectations of retailers, a customer-first approach is only becoming more important for brands that wish to not only attract new customers but to retain them too.

Tailoring products and services to match customer preferences enables retailers to deliver a high-quality shopping experience from the moment a visitor steps in-store. With access to the right technology, partnered with exceptional service given by in-store associates, retailers can deliver convenient, personalized interactions that leave customers satisfied and eager to return.

Challenges of a Demanding Environment

Exceptional Service

In a customer-driven environment, where consumers dictate the success of a retailer, there are a number of challenges that retail businesses encounter on a daily basis when it comes to customer interaction. Each in-store visitor has differing demands on how they would like to be served; some individuals like to be greeted upon arrival whereas others prefer to be left alone while they shop. Keeping track and catering to every unique demand can be difficult and time-consuming, especially during busy hours.

Retailers today must know their shoppers’ purchasing habits and preferences, so that they can tailor each interaction to individual customers, helping them to feel welcomed, valued, and to deliver a high-quality customer experience.

Accurate Stock Management

When it comes to bricks and mortar, retailers can only sell what they have, and customers can only buy what is in front of them. Effective inventory management is paramount – not only when it comes to maintaining stock levels, but in being able to locate items quickly.

Research shows that 21% of customers who can’t find the product they’re looking for are likely to leave the store and find it elsewhere. If retailers are unable to meet these needs, they will risk losing business to competitors. Maintaining shop floor stock levels is critical, and retailers need to have processes in place that enable quick replenishment on the shop floor, and seamless solutions to finding products in the back of the store.

Labor Shortages

A top-tier customer experience depends on the availability of in-store staff. Whether they’re greeting customers with a smile and personalizing experiences, or finding items in various sizes for shoppers, a personal touch is vital in a customer-first approach.

Understandably, the ongoing labor shortage causes complications in delivering an exceptional experience. Customers expect to receive top-quality service in-store. Without enough staff on the shop floor can make it difficult for retailers to meet customers’ expectations and complete daily tasks.

The right technology can alleviate all of these challenges and help retailers integrate a customer-first approach into a demanding retail environment. However, in a complex environment with a number of variables, any retail technology deployment must be able to operate and communicate across all systems in real time in order to ensure all solutions are providing optimal value. Retailers must take a holistic, all-encompassing, approach to their retail tech stack.

Integrating the Approach

Teamwork Commerce has its own integration platform to assist modern retailers with the ever-changing omnichannel ecosystem. This system allows retailers to easily keep up with customer demands to provide a better retail experience, even throughout the labor shortage.

This platform combines the best-in-class Mobile Point of Sale (POS), Order Management System, Inventory Control System and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to ensure an effective customer-first operation. Using this platform, employees can balance their day-to-day tasks while ensuring the needs and demands of the customer are met efficiently.

Delivering Personalized Experiences

With CRM software built into Mobile POS devices, staff can approach customers and immediately begin personalizing their experiences. Drawing on previous interactions – such as purchase and return histories – helps them to tailor their approach to make accurate recommendations on products, allowing customers to feel valued.

Streamlined Stock Management

The same Mobile POS device can be used to also help in-store associates resolve stock enquiries for customers. The associate can quickly locate any item, provide accurate stock information in real-time, and either source the product straight away, or place a specific product order for later pick-up or home delivery. Providing a streamlined service creates quick and convenient experiences for the customer, improving satisfaction levels and increasing the chances of their return.

Labor Shortage

Retailers can deploy an all-encompassing retail technology approach to alleviate ongoing labor shortages while streamlining customer experience. With the right technology at their fingertips, in-store associates can help customers with recommendations, locate items and complete transactions all in the same place, in a matter of minutes. This satisfies both staff and customers, as shoppers can be served quickly, and the shop floor assistant can continue on with any other tasks quickly whilst maintaining great service.

The Customer Comes First

Being able to deliver exceptional and personalized service to every shopper, even in highly demanding retail environments, can create highly positive experiences for consumers, helping attract new customers while driving loyalty with existing ones. Trends come and go, and retailers are expected to step up to meet the ever-evolving demands of the industry. Being able to incorporate a customer-first approach into such an environment strengthens the relationship between the customer and the brand, helping maximize customer retention and even increase customer acquisition.