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How to Lose a Customer in 10 Ways

Written by Ron Maier

Sunday, 31 December 2006

Everyone is annoyed by something. Human beings are a complicated intelligent species that react differently to their environment because of previous connotation or conditioning. As a result, making sure every customer's preferences are cared for is a difficult endeavor, but retailers must strive to do everything imaginable to cater to specific customer needs. Although these needs may be diverse, many customers share some basic preferences that can be easily provided. A clean and organized store is usually appreciated by all and is simply accomplished. So before you tackle the needs of every customer, start with the things that everyone cares about. Investigate the cleanliness and organization of your retail environment by considering these 10 ways to loose a Customer.
Consider these two unseen properties of your retail atmosphere, noise and smell. Music for every retail environment is good, but excessively loud music will unnerve even the boldest of shoppers. When choosing atmospheric music, consider the wide range of customers you might have. Remember, the music is for the shoppers, not the employees. Unpleasant smells are sure to make customers move toward the door as soon as possible. Be sure to use air fresheners that are both effective and subtle. Customers do not want to be bombarded with sounds and smells that make them uncomfortable.
The major cleanliness issues that are important to attack are the bathrooms, floors and ceilings, and lighting. A major turn off to especially female shoppers is a dirty bathroom. In fact, they may leave your establishment to seek out a better bathroom, but having a notoriously clean bathroom might even bring in more business. Though the bathroom can be the most important thing, customers are also very conscious of the floors the tread on and what is overhead. Sticky, grimy floors make a customer feel stifled and unpleasant, while dirty ceilings leave them checking their hair for possible falling objects. Though bad lighting is not really about cleaning dirt or grime, it will give the customer a feeling Just keep your store clean so customers can take there time and not feel like they need to wash their hands after leaving your store. They are not coming home from shoveling garbage but really going shopping.
Organization is a major key to customer satisfaction, and though the list of organizational needs will go on forever, these five areas should be attended to. Messy dressing rooms must be tidied, signs should be printed and typed rather than hand written and communicate clearly, shopping aisles should be clear to allow plenty of traffic, checkout counters must be organized, there should be plenty of shopping carts or baskets neatly placed near the entrance. Just perfecting these areas of organization will make a world of difference to your customers. Hopefully these tips will be helpful to prevent your retail store from having to discover for itself How to Lose a Customer in Ten Ways. Improving your retail environment is an ongoing process, but this list can get you started.
About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading provider of retail store displays, including slatwall accessories, mannequins and more. For more information, please visit www.slstoredisplays.com.

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About The Author:

About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online provider of store fixtures . For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com.

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