Now that technology has worked it’s way into seemingly every aspect of our lives, it follows that the digital age is affecting the buying process inside your store as well. Using electronics to add value, to answer questions, to clarify selling benefits, to reaffirm the buying decision and to actually close the sale is an integral part of today’s commerce. Electronics filling these roles are not part of the future, they have already arrived.
Put a screen on the street outside- Electronic billboards with ever-changing messages have created a new way to communicate with passers-by outside your store. Although they are an expensive investment (often $25,000-$50,000 depending on size) they give the merchant a chance to increase traffic and sales. Keep your message short. Keep your goal firmly in mind. Avoid generalities in your message. Promote a piece of merchandise at a great price point. Promote payments per month on 1cttw. diamond studs. Change your message each Monday.
Put a screen on the wall inside- Once a customer has just told you that they are just looking, an effective store monitor slideshow still speaks loudly to your shoppers. With large screen TV’s at rock bottom prices, put them in your store in lieu of static posters or duratrans. Run an interesting show emphasizing your stores services and merchandise. Change it monthly. Consider a service like MyStoreMonitor.com. They will send you a new personalized to your store slide show with 75 slides each month for $139/mo.
Put a screen on your showcases- Now that I-pads and their like have become ubiquitous, why not use them as a selling tool in your store. Why not record a 3-minute video (free) about the merchandise in a particular showcase and upload it to You-Tube? Make the video load upon the tablet being opened. Let that video be as specific or general as you want to create interest in the showcase. It can be the message you’d share with your customer if you were face to face. Communications such as this are appealing to younger customers who do not want to feel like they are being “sold” by a real person. Be sure to add a link to your store website on the tablets as well.
Put a screen in the hands of your sales team- Put all the aforementioned case video links on each persons tablet so your team can use them in their sales presentations. Include links to the homepages of the designers whose merchandise you offer. Images will sell better than your words when it comes to explaining a designer’s inspiration to your customer. Add a cube card processor to allow checkout from anywhere in the store. Move your sales team from paper to this paperless system. By doing so you have greater control over the sales presentation since you will approve the message. Enlist the assistance of a tech savvy individual to make your message compliment the look and feel of your store and your merchandise. If your electronics are cool, your store is too.
The age of static billboards, painted signage, lined notepads and carbon copy sales tickets is long over. Today’s customer wants more in their shopping experience. To compete with the on-line merchant you must offer a suitable alternative purchasing process. It can be a daunting task to those merchants that did not grow up with this technology, but it is important to recognize its worth and start somewhere, somehow to put it to work for you.