Shoppers ready to deal; are you?
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, 11/24/2008 12:00:00 AM
After speaking with retailers from all over the country, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that most of them have yet to see foot traffic return to pre-credit crisis levels.
The good news, however, is that the majority of those retailers tell me that when consumers do venture into their stores, they are coming to buy. “We are closing an incredibly high number of sales,” one New England retailer said. “But you better be ready on every level, because you may only have that one chance to sell her.”
Even before the credit meltdown, we knew that the consumer was spending more and more time online doing her homework — investigating you, your products, your store and your competition.
In the privacy of her home, on her schedule, she did her due diligence. More than likely, she visited your Web site and read everything you had to say about your store and its services.
As a result, when she walks in the door, please don't assume she's just some casual shopper who is looking to pass some time window shopping. Chances are she's armed and ready to pull the trigger.
Are you ready to sell her? Hopefully, you've been using some of your down time preparing your sales team so they can respond to her questions in an intelligent and straightforward way.
But keep in mind that in today's changing retail landscape, even a well-informed staff may not be enough to win her trust, or the sale.
In a 2008 survey called How America Shops, WSL Strategic Retail asked 1,300 women who helps them decide what to buy. Not surprisingly, 78% said they trust their own ability to research and evaluate product, followed by recommendations from friends and family (74%) and then rating systems like Consumer Reports or Edmunds.com (59%).
Another sobering finding is that shoppers rely more on reviews from total strangers on a Web site (40%) than sales associates (22%).
Clearly, your customers are prepared. Are you?
