Six ways to improve the shopping experience.
By Bob Clarke
Day in the Life of a Happy Retail Shopper: A friend bubbled with enthusiasm about your store, so Betsy knows right where to go when she needs a dress for a special date. As she turns into the mall, she smiles at the profusion of flowers lining the driveway, such a pretty color combination. The parking lot is full, but no problem: She knows about the valet, so she pulls up and steps out at your store entrance. Its brass and glass are shining.
At the top of the escalator, a sea of dresses floats before her. The tidy racks and organized flow draw her in. Ten minutes later, she has picked out five gowns. The dressing room mirror has no fingerprints, and the carpet is free of lint, pins and torn tags. The lighting is excellent, and it’s a flattering mirror. Bingo, the third dress is it!
She finds matching earrings in a display case, also well lit with no fingerprints. And then the bathroom… the stall door closes and locks easily, there’s plenty of toilet paper, granite countertops are not wet, there’s soap in the touchless dispenser, no paper towels on the floor… everything is immaculate. She appreciates the “green cleaning” sticker on the mirror. Out front, the valet brings her car and has the nicest smile. She sends a text to her friend: “PERFECT store, PERFECT dress”
Sound Too Good to be True?
It’s not… not if you have an expert partner working in the background to make your store look good and operate smoothly. No matter what type of retail facility you have, a multi-faceted facility services provider can help you create the ultimate shopping experience. The right partner helps enhance your brand and create customer loyalty.
6 Ways to Improve Your Customer’s Shopping Experience
1. Immaculate restrooms, dressing rooms, mirrors and displays: It is said, “The sale is made in the fitting room,” so yours must be clean and well lit always. You want shoppers to spend as much time as they need in your store and not hurry away from unpleasantness. Housekeeping is an art and science — so choose a provider that uses the proper processes, tools and equipment, along with Green Seal or other sustainable cleaning products.
2. Comfortable temperature, every season: Heavy winter coats in winter can cause shoppers to get in and out of your store as quickly as possible. It’s the same problem in summer if the A/C is freezing or stuffy. HVAC systems need regular maintenance to keep them at optimal capacity for optimal comfort. A bonus for your company will be better energy efficiency and longer life of the system.
3. Just right lighting: Not too glaring, not too shadowy, not color-distorting: Your shoppers need to see your merchandise… the detail, the color, the tags. Lighting should create a mood that enhances your brand and encourages people to linger and buy. Again, better energy efficiency will be the result of a well-designed and maintained system.
4. Landscaping that welcomes visitors: Your grounds give customers a visual of your brand as soon as they pull in. Whether you’re going for the “wow” factor or just a clean, fresh look, professional landscaping shows visitors that you pay attention to detail for their benefit.
5. Valet parking, shuttles or parking management that helps customers park quickly and safely: There’s nothing worse than circling a parking lot or ending up parking in a dimly lit corner of a deck’s lower level. A parking vendor can help you solve problems and get shoppers into the store with smiles on their faces.
6. Safe and friendly special events: When you need extra security personnel, your integrated facility services provider will be at the ready with security guards trained in crowd control. They’ll keep shoppers on Black Friday safe and calm. The same goes for other events and promotions, where you might require special entrances, VIP access or anything over and above your day-to-day security needs.
Finding a Trusted Partner
Your experience, as well as the shopper’s, will be improved if you partner with one provider that can handle housekeeping, security, lighting, valet, engineering, landscaping and handyman services under one contract with one point of contact. They will staff your store with their own expert employees (not subcontractors), which is important because they’ll be working around your merchandise and interacting with your customers and employees. This approach can also save you money and create greater management control and efficiencies. If you have multiple locations, all will be cared for with the same standard of excellence. Go ahead, make your customer’s day.
— Bob Clarke is senior vice president, sales and marketing of ABM Onsite Services. Clarke brings more than 25 years of experience in the facilities services industry. He has overseen and managed ABM’s janitorial division’s national and regional sales teams and organic growth strategy over the last several years. Email the author at [email protected].