Stay Away from the Customer

A customer walks into a store…no; it’s not the opening to a bad joke; it’s something that happens every day, thousands of times. The trick for retailers is to know what that customer wants. Stores need to be more than just a repository of merchandise where shoppers come to pick something out, pay, and leave. Customers are looking for more than that, but the details vary. A survey by retail advisory firm HRC took a deep dive into the numbers and what they came up with should have brands and retailers looking at their in-store presence and seeing how they measure up to customers’ needs and wants. A few key points that you need to know to enhance your brand:

• A stunning 95% of consumers say they want to be left alone by sales associates and only want to engage when they are close to making a final purchase decision.
• 85% of shoppers don’t even want an associate’s help on pricing, preferring to check the cost of an item via an in-store price scanner
• BOPIS—Buy Online Pick Up In Store is a significant factor. 42% of Millennials and 38% of Gen Z shoppers want to reserve apparel online and then visit the store to try it on.

While each customer’s needs are individual, there are trends, and those trends become apparent when retailers have accurate data from every aspect of the in-store experience. Store associates need access to the massive amount of information that is just waiting to be mined. ThirdChannel can curate that data and create a private activity feed that brings every bit of information, from loyalty program details to sales figures, inventory management issues, and even supply chain strategy. We help key account category managers know what’s happening across multiple locations.

Knowing your customer is vital to making your brand a fan favorite. Our unique set of software tools can optimize your numbers from inventory, sales, brand rep engagements, and store associate feedback to create strategies that enhance the customer in-store experience.