As chains take over the world of retail, it’s important to distinguish your business as a cut above the standard treatment. If you really know your clients by their patterns and shopping habits, you can add perks specific to their purchasing style that will keep them coming back.
A Breakfast Tradition
For your coffee shop, if clients arrive at the same time each day, can you prep their table before they walk in? If you offer a free newspaper for in-house reading, why not give them a crisp new copy? For the cost of one more paper, you can guarantee that you return client becomes a lifetime client. Train your staff to recognize regular customers, and you’ll be the talk of the town. Train your staff to treat every customer like a regular, and you might just have a hit on your hands.
Not Just Any Course
Have you got a regular visitor to your golf course who’s started to slow down in retirement? Using a customer tracking software that customer purchases and habits, like that available from foreU, can give you an advantage in customer service. Do they go to the course restaurant before they hit the links? Have your best caddie to keep an eye out in the parking lot for their car, so the trip into the clubhouse can be a bit easier for your client. A pleasant chat with your most knowledgeable staff can make your steady clients feel like they have an edge against the competition. Other perks including club clean-up, a lunch tailored to meet special dietary requirements, or a favorite beverage on the ninth hole can make a client feel like a king.
Professional Service for the Professionally Dressed
Does your clothing store cater to the professional dress crowd? Keep your hard working clients aware of new trends, product lines, or custom fitting opportunities. If you cater to professionals, consider starting a box lunch feature on one particular day of the week for a select set of your clients. Customers who need a professional wardrobe can stop in, shop, get their garments altered or at least marked, and enjoy a quick lunch while hems are taken up. Keeping this group small and private will add to the aura of this custom service.
You offer clients the chance to do more than dine, dress, and play just like the next person. You provide a custom experience. They don’t come to you for a “McRetail” experience, so your customer service must stay ahead of the pack. Even if you don’t own a quaint coffee shop, manage a golf course, or sell designer clothes, you can still, and you should still, offer a unique experience for every customer visit.
