Your grocery store doesn’t just have to sell food and other products. Through the way your store is laid out and configured, you can sell customers an experience. The experience of shopping in your store can help people decide if they want to come back or not. Loyal customers may return for many years, so it’s important to consider what they want when returning and make occasional changes for them. Here are some ideas on where to start.
1. Easy Use
Using the grocery store to get food and other products should always be the first priority, and nothing should get in the way of that. Make sure to get new wheels for carts that are squeaky, locked or just plain broken. The cart is an extension of the shopper on most shopping trips, so you want to make sure they feel smooth and comfortable piloting it. In addition, upgrading the checkout experience with better card readers, a simpler system or better conveyer belts can mean the world to customers. Make things easy on your patrons, and they will feel better about shopping with you.
2. Looks
If your store doesn’t look like the kind of place someone would enjoy shopping at, they probably won’t. Make sure that the store is clean inside and out, and consider fresh paint or finish for your interior and exterior walls. If you have illuminated signage, make sure it’s well lit, and repair any cracks or uneven spots in your parking lot, curbs and sidewalks. The more work you put in, the better customers might feel about shopping with you.
3. Product Location
If you don’t want to make a lot of huge changes to your layout, consider simply upgrading your shelving. More open shelves show off products better and give customers the feeling of being in a new spot without actually going anywhere. Rotating end cap displays and mid-aisle units can also give the appearance of movement and change in your store. If you are considering bigger changes to the layout, it’s good to use a map to plan your moves. Mapping your current layout and how it affects customer traffic can help you understand where changes are the most necessary.
Making your customers feel happy and welcome is as essential to your store as the products offered. Offer occasional updates and quality improvements to keep people coming back as regular customers for years.
