How to Optimize your Customer Experience With Retail Sales Enablement
Few industries have been disrupted as much as retail over the last couple of years. It’s been estimated that the pandemic has accelerated the transition to ecommerce by 5 years, so the pressure is on retailers to up their in-store game and stay competitive in a post-pandemic world. Brands may not even realise it, but poor in-store customer experience could be holding your brand back.
Customer experience matters
One major benefit that brands have by working with retail stores is the opportunity for knowledgeable and passionate salespeople to guide curious customers to the perfect product and encourage a sale.
Everyone who enters the store should receive the same great customer experience by being given second-to-none insight into the products and brands available and how these can help the customer in their journey.
Intimate interactions like these can make all the difference – one study found that 42% of people purchase more after receiving a good customer experience. The same research indicated that customers hate having to go through multiple people for a solution, so every salesperson should be armed with the knowledge to build brand advocacy.
Training front-line sellers to deliver an amazing customer experience is critical, but with retail staff turnover skyrocketing, product knowledge isn’t always retained in stores.
Online shopping has become the primary choice for many during the pandemic, so every retail interaction counts – salespeople that don’t know their stuff could be make-or-break. Brands need to ensure that their products are being properly represented in retail stores, and the good news is it’s not out of your hands.
Digital sales enablement for a better customer experience
It's frustrating to think that you could be losing out on sales due to retail staff providing a lacklustre customer experience. At one time, brands had little control over their customers’ experiences once the product was with a retailer. That’s no longer the case with online sales enablement platforms.
Such platforms help you elevate the customer experience remotely by empowering retail salespeople with engaging brand training content. Training can be delivered continuously and exactly when it’s needed most. Customers will enter a store interested in a new product and be met with impassioned salespeople who know it from top to bottom. What does that mean? A smooth customer experience and better sell-through.
The level of consistency achieved by digital sales enablement platforms is unparalleled too, as store assistants across the country (and world!) can all be given the same high standard of training. You can rest easy knowing that all retailers are being put in the best position possible to advocate for your brand and sell your products.
The power of enabling retail salespeople
The benefits to the customer are obvious, but you could feel the effects of improving the customer experience for years to come. In fact, 96% of people say that a good customer experience is important in their choice of and loyalty to a brand. What’s better than sales? Repeat sales. When you empower salespeople to deliver outstanding service, you create the possibility to generate a loyal customer.
Taking care of these early stages is vital – if a customer is recommended a product that isn’t quite right for them, they could be left with a negative impression of your brand. An unhappy customer will share their negative experience with 56% more people than a happy one, and is much more likely to leave a bad review online, return the product, and switch brands. The best way to lower that risk is to give retail workers the tools and knowledge to lead customers to exactly the right product.
On the other hand, customers that have a good experience are also 38% more likely to recommend you to a friend. By simply focusing on improving one aspect of the customer journey, you could be building an enthusiastic following ready to champion your brand on your behalf.
It’s clear that customer experience can have huge ramifications for brands, but whether they are positive or negative will depend on how well trained the retail salespeople on the front line are. Myagi can help you distribute brand knowledge to retailers with continuous training through our online sales enablement platform.
Get in touch below to find out more about how Myagi can help you digitise your retail sales enablement.
