by Lina Martinez
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a successful retailer? Perhaps you’re lacking that special something to help your store stand out, or maybe you’ve yet to start a store and are thinking about how you could make a big impact in your chosen industry when you do start up.
We’ve analyzed several of the most successful brick-and-mortar and online retailers to bring you this list of five of the most successful habits that retailers have.
1. Product availability
It’s important to get your products into the hands of everyone that wants it. For a physical store, that might mean offering delivery services or it could mean attaching an online website to your store so that your customers can order those products no matter where they are. For online stores, it could mean expanding your reach by having storage warehouses in different locations. This will typically require truck routes to be set up across the country and strategic locations for storage. This requires more planning and is only applicable to growing stores that want to provide their products to a wider audience with their own resources instead of using a postal or delivery service.
2. Assisting customers with purchases
There are a couple of good ways to help your customers with their purchases. For instance, you don’t want to drown them in choice if you’re a small retailer. Not only does this mean purchasing more stock in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, but it also means making a harder decision for your customers. Many big-name stores like Apple will also let their customers get hands-on with their products in store so that it’s easier to see what the product is, how it feels in the hand and also how it works.
3. Creating an ecosystem
It’s important to use products to market other products when you’re a growing store. For example, if you create an electronic device like a laptop or a smartphone, you should also create accessories that are made to go with that product. You’ll notice many tech companies doing this with their products because it’s common for people to not just buy the “main” product, but also extras that improve its features and usability.
4. Fantastic customer service
There are many brands that build a solid reputation because of their excellent customer service. They might not have the world’s most outstanding and innovative products, but they can at least support their customers and offer them assistance when it’s needed. Make sure there are measures in place to protect the customer’s interests and provide them with high-quality support so that they’ll return in the future.
5. Convenient purchases
Lastly, you should also think about making purchases convenient. You could offer your customers the ability to order online and pick up their items in-store, it could be an account gateway where your customers can log in and save their account information to make online purchases easier. The more convenient you make the entire ordering process, the more likely your retail business will succeed.
