The Value of Customer Interaction
Friendship is the most effective branding a store can ever use. It isn't loyalty programs that set retailers apart from their competition, it is friendships. How can retailers build friendships with their customers?
Friendships are forged from human interaction. Getting rid of the cold and impersonal, and adding the personal touch is the way to recognize every shopper as an unique individual. By valuing their customers' feelings, tastes, needs and desires, retailers create friendships and build customer loyalty.
What are retailers doing to interact with their customers? Gwen Moran, president of Moran Marketing Associates, explored several ideas for Entrepreneur Magazine, including one from a florist friend, who "keeps a card file on each of her most frequent customers, recording the colors of their home decor, seasonal flower preferences and so on, so she always delivers the perfect arrangement."
Another great way to get customers back into a store is to offer classes and workshops. Fantastic for both interaction and showcasing products, these hands-on activities are big hits with customers. Michaels, an arts and crafts retailer, offers classes on everything from floral designing to tole painting. In addition, they offer project worksheets, demonstrations, and make-and-take projects to get their customers, and their customers' kids, excited.
Home improvement giant, Home Depot, offers project information on their Web site. They also give their customers a chance to come in and participate in projects like building a deck at the store before tackling it at home.
In the flooring industry, on of the most popular events is a customer appreciation day or contractors night where the vendors present their product and show demonstrations on how it is used. Remember contractors are the life blood of your business, not only do they buy products for themselves and setting their jobs, but they bring their customers in to their favorite stores to choose tile and other flooring products.
Many retailers, large and small, brick-and-mortar and pure-play, have found ways to build friendships. From letting a customer try a product in the store before they buy it, to soliciting feedback on products and giving customers a way to share their experiences with other customers, retailers are treating customers like friends, not just guests.
Retailers find that as friendships develop, great things start to happen. The increased loyalty brings referrals and new friends into the store. Customers start stopping by more often just to see what's going on and what's new. Both retailers and customers benefit from the interaction.