UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Consumers today want more personalized relationships with businesses. For retail establishments, having a strong relationship with your customers is more valuable than ever. Here are three reasons you may be losing customers:
— Your customer service isn’t cutting it. Customers today expect more from retail shops to retain their loyalty. If they don’t feel valued, they’ll be quick to move on to another business. Show you appreciate them by keeping check out easy and fast, creating customized rewards programs and having authentic interactions at every point of their shopping experience.
— You’re lacking consistency. More than 80% of customers will visit your website first before seeing you in person. Make sure your website, Google, and social media channels all contain your correct store hours, menus, available products and contact information. When you deliver consistent information to your customers, it fosters deeper trust for your business.
—You aren’t listening. You need to gather customer feedback regularly. Relying on Google reviews will only show you the peaks and pits of customer feelings. Gathering feedback regularly captures a better picture of who your shoppers are and how they experience your store. When customers feel heard, they can turn into your most valuable marketing asset by recruiting new shoppers.
To help you avoid these pitfalls and ensure a positive customer experience with your retail space — both in person and online — Penn State Extension is offering “Under the Ground,” a year-long, retail coaching program available to food and beverage businesses across the commonwealth.
“We’re taking a holistic approach to how people are experiencing your business,” said Miranda Harple, a food systems and local foods extension educator and “Under the Ground” organizer.
“The pandemic changed retail shopping forever because people stopped going to stores,” Harple continued. “People who are younger are going to grow up in a world where everything has been personalized to them through the power of digital marketing.”
This can put a lot of pressure on business owners.
“If you’re a small-business owner managing a farmers market, you don’t necessarily have time to also be a social media manager,” Harple said.
“Under the Ground” can help fill the gap, not only for farm markets, but for nurseries, wineries, breweries, cideries, specialty food markets and small grocery stores.
Here are some of the benefits:
— Receive individual consultation to set up and maintain a unique customer survey tailored to your business. Throughout the year, you will receive regular communication about how to solicit and receive customer feedback on topics such as product selection, retail space and customer interactions.
— Receive comprehensive feedback on your website and on up to two social media accounts.
— Access multiple peer-to-peer networking events to see and learn from other retailers.
— Attend a specialized educational immersion trip.
— Attend the annual networking mixer at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention in 2023.
— Receive an end-of-year insights report of customer feedback that includes recommendations for improvements.
“Under the Ground” allows you to gain valuable qualitative feedback of your store. This feedback complements a business’s sales data to reveal a comprehensive strategy for improvements and success.
The subscription period is from April 1, 2022, through Jan. 31, 2023. Registrations will be accepted through March 31 at $225. In addition, participants may be considered for full scholarships by filling out a simple survey. Preference will be given to new markets, markets looking to renovate, or markets in regions with limited access to a variety of healthful foods.
The program is partially funded by the State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania.
For more information on scholarships and registration, visit the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/under-the-ground.
–Penn State Extension