First published on Inside Retail – 9th June 2021
“But I’m just a humble shopkeeper!”
Well, ignorance might be bliss but you can’t put it in the bank. Where once upon a time it was enough to simply open the doors and stand behind the counter, times have certainly changed. A customer now wants to be entertained, they want to be “woo-ed” by you. They expect to be guided, some would even say they expect you to control their shopping experience. They want you to make it an eventful journey from beginning to end.
So now what? Are you expected to be a shopkeeper, a marketing expert, a visual merchandising expert, an operations expert and stock-buying expert … just to name a few. The short answer is yes, the longer answer is, that it’s not what you know but who you know. While you personally don’t need to be an expert in all of these areas, you do need to call on the right help to show you how or do it for you if you want to deliver on your customers’ expectations.
So back to controlling the customers shopping experience, creating an eventful journey and “woo-ing” your customers …. That’s where we come in! Call in an experiential specialist to help you understand how to take control of your customers’ experience by allowing us to teach you how!
It’s as simple as:
A, B, C …..
Attract customers using an emotional pull
Bigger is better … Go big or go home! Make a statement
Charm your customers … Connect with them, convince them to come in, captivate them by creating the experience they deserve
Visual Merchandising is about combining science and creativity to create beautiful spaces that make visual sense and leave the customer emotionally connected and wanting to spend money in your business. By using the right techniques, you can turn your products from a need into a want and offer not just a simple solution but a piece of the puzzle in the lifestyle they crave.
So where to start? Well who is your customer, what do they want, what does that look like, sound like, smell like and feel like? Then go to it! With a little help from your friendly team of experts.
We would ask you to focus on tapping into the emotions involved in the buying process and presenting an experience to your customer that they respond to on both a subconscious and an emotional level.
Let’s go back to the five senses merchandising that we have spoken about in previous articles. When it looks right, you’ve won half the battle, but what about the rest? What we smell and hear is more influential on our moods and emotions than any other sense. So how does your store smell? How does it sound? Ultimately, how does it feel to be in your store?
Take your customer on a journey they won’t forget anytime soon by offering them a lifestyle choice, an emotional pick me up and most of all a memory of your business that offers a connection to your brand that is laced with the conditioned emotional response only well-crafted brands dare to wish for.
Be a humble shopkeeper by all means, but don’t forget to also be the Master of your retail universe at the same time!
AUSVM Design is a full service visual merchandising display & design agency with over a decade of experience specialising in retail environments. We have transformed retail spaces and assisted retailers across the country for Scentre, Vicinity, GPT, Lendlease, CBRE, JLL and Mirvac including global brands such as Ralph Lauren and Tory Burch.
AUSVM Design can work with any brief to enhance your retail space. Let us bring your space to life!
The AUSVM Design Team
