Sales Strategy
A Simple Buff And Polish Can Boost Your Bottom Line October 23, 2019 (0 comments)
Louisville, KY—You may have been told not to judge a book but its cover, but in fact most people not only do judge books by their covers but also stores (and people) by their appearances, according to this article on RetailCustomerExperience.com.
A recent study by ServiceChannel found that 95% of consumers consider a store’s exterior appearance an important factor in deciding whether to shop there, and more than half will walk away if the exterior is poorly maintained, says the article. Almost two-thirds (64%) will walk out of a store without buying if it’s disorganized or has a poor physical appearance. Conversely, another poll found that 80% of consumer respondents would be willing to try out a new store if it’s clean and inviting both inside and out.
With the holiday shopping season almost upon us, pause and evaluate your store’s appearance before you get into the thick of the season. Pretend you’re a shopper—or pretend it’s a competitor’s store and you want to see how it compares to yours—and look at every single detail critically, both inside and out. Look for everything: dust, fingerprints, leaves and debris outside, worn textiles, nicks in the wall or on showcases, and so on.
Found more than you thought you would? Don’t panic. There are a lot of quick, easy, and inexpensive fixes you can do to improve your store’s appearance immensely!
Related: 10 Ways To Refresh Your Store For Under $100
How quick? How easy? How inexpensive? Let’s just say that if 15 minutes can save you 15% on car insurance, a mere 10 minutes and $10 can save your store from looking tired and shabby. Because even if they're minuscule, scratches, scuffs, and spots add up and customers do notice.
The Centurion Newsletter addressed this topic last fall with a list of 10 tools under $10 that give a fast, easy refresh. A few on our list: Simple Green, Goof-Off, Old English Scratch Cover, and more. Click here to read.
RetailCustomerExperience’s article provides checklists of daily, monthly, and yearly tasks to ensure that your store’s appearance remains top-notch. Some examples of daily tasks include sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, straightening merchandise, and more. (In the fall, add sweeping fallen leaves away.) Monthly tasks are more maintenance-oriented, such as changing batteries, updating music playlists and assessing the need for professional carpet cleaning. Examples of annual tasks include painting, power-washing, HVAC maintenance and so on. Click here for the full list.