{"id":43660,"date":"2021-01-12T14:09:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T14:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sticky-highjinx.flywheelsites.com\/?p=43660"},"modified":"2024-09-06T10:01:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T14:01:16","slug":"5-reasons-store-associates-are-critical-to-in-store-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/envistacorp.com\/en-au\/2021\/01\/12\/5-reasons-store-associates-are-critical-to-in-store-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How Store Associates Improve The Customer Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 6<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

The Retail Industry Is Ever-Changing
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reports of retail\u2019s death have been greatly exaggerated. Traditional retailing is not dead, but it must adapt to changing customer demand and the impact of digital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are struggling, there is reason for optimism. According to TimeTrade\u2019s State of Retail Survey, 85 percent of respondents<\/a><\/strong> said that if an item were available both online and in-store, they would rather make a purchase in the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent Galaxy report<\/a><\/strong> was even more bullish showing that out of 1,250 people surveyed, 94 percent preferred to shop in traditional brick and mortar stores. However, and this is the key, half of the people surveyed said that they went online to research retailers\u2019 products and services before purchasing in-store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retail\u2019s New Normal: Competing on Customer Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Digital has fundamentally changed the retail landscape and the amount of information consumers have access to in order to make highly informed purchase decisions. This has elevated consumer expectations as your customers expect to be known and understood regardless of the channel and expect interactions with your brand to be consistent and unified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an example of today\u2019s customer expectations, consider this hypothetical \u201cletter\u201d from a retail customer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Dear Retailer,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d like this item, with these attributes, available in this channel and in my hands when I need it, exactly how I ordered it. Please make the entire process easy, seamless, convenient and fast regardless of channel, even if I want to return your item. I don\u2019t want to be treated like a transaction. I\u2019m not an order; I am a person. Communicate and interact with me accordingly. Know my preferences and order history and be able to locate an item for me, whether I am in the store, online or talking to your call centre reps. I have lots of shopping options, so every interaction counts. I want to feel like you see me and that I matter to you. Can you promise me you will deliver against my expectations? If you keep your promise, I\u2019ll likely be back!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sincerely,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Customer<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These are the expectations that retail customers have today. If an organisation cannot deliver on them, the customer can very easily find another avenue where their expectations can be met, whether that is with a brick and mortar competitor or one of a multitude of online retailers or e-commerce giants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, the path to fulfilling those customer expectations is achievable through retail operations excellence starting with a focus on empowering your store associates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n