You would think that in a city the size of London there would be no secret to running a successful small retail shop since there is a huge market base available every day of the year. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case because the entire city isn’t comprised of travelers and sightseers. Since most of your retail traffic will almost always be the result of London residents, return patronage is going to be something you should strongly focus on.
Although in most areas of the city, you will often see out-of-town shoppers, they will not comprise the bulk of your revenue for 12 months of the year. With that in mind, you should also remember that without your customers, a retail shop couldn’t survive. Therefore, each of the following tips are geared toward your bread and butter – that would be your customers.
Make Good Use of Lighting
Even though the days may be bright and sunny, being in a small retail shop in London usually means you are situated on the ground floor as part of a ‘chain’ of shops on either side of you. Most small retail shops of this nature have few windows except the front display window, so it is difficult to keep it well-lit inside. You will want it especially well-lit around hot items you are trying to move!
If you find this to be the case, you would want to consult with the electricians at a company like Maintracts Services Ltd. Licensed electricians can help you bring the daylight indoors with such things as wired track lighting and various bits of task or accent lighting throughout. Not only will this help customers see merchandise better, but it can also prevent them from tripping due to poor lighting.
Customer Service Should Be Your Main Priority
Even if you are a small, mom-and-pop retail establishment, chances are you will have at least a few employees working for you in customer-facing positions. If there is one thing customers around the world complain about most, it would be the lack of good old-fashioned customer service. You must train your staff, even family members, well.
It behooves you to compile a concise ‘company manual’ that can be trained by and referred to as often as necessary. If you take good care of your customers and treat them with the respect they deserve, you are more likely to get their return business even if you have merchandise they are not thrilled with. Customer service is a priority in retail, and it is by no exaggeration that it should be your main priority.
Offer Ongoing Customer Promotions
What is one of the most common things you look for when shopping online? Most consumers now frequent their ‘favorite’ online retailers because they offer discounts and coupon codes. This is a trend you can also use in a brick-and-mortar shop, but you will probably need to have those coupons and special offers printed.
As you can see, each of the above tips is aimed at customer satisfaction. If you have great customer service, sufficient lighting, and ongoing promotions reward those customers returning to your shop. It is all about the customer, so with that as your focus, what can you do to increase traffic to your shop?