December 17, 2007
A Week Before Christmas and All Through the Store…
By GMDC
It’s a week before Christmas and the greatest chance to sell the next wave of items for the Christmas holiday. How are retailers going to capture the sale within their store? Will it be based on the products they offer? Yes, and these have been chosen and stocked long ago. What other variable can retailers perfect during this critical week to maximize their sales ring?
A variable retailers still have influence over this week are their employees. What can they do to motivate, further train, and even inspire their sales staff to help customers buy in their store? Hopefully the sales staff, including all help hired on a temporary basis, is in-place, already trained, and has been getting their feet wet during this busy holiday season since Thanksgiving or before. But what else can be done on the part of retailers and each individual employee to help the customer in their store and to be the one to get the sale in the next seven days?
Knowing that the holiday shopper is busy, probably rushed, and has many tasks to complete in the next week, how can a store and its help make the shopping experience as easy and as pleasant as possible for shoppers? Every store manager from grocery to superstore, clothing, electronic store and beyond must be contemplating the same thing.
A quick search of the internet reveals multiple web sites helping consumers pick gifts for the people in their lives. One groups them in categories based on who the gift is for, like “man,” “woman,” “child,” or “pet,” or based on price point from “unique gifts” and “gadgets” to “inexpensive” and “discount,” on www.christmas-gift-idea -finder.com for example. Have stores organized their products in this way?
Even if they haven’t, their employees will want to get a map in their mind of where items in these various categories live within their store, to help the customer get there most efficiently. A few tips from the booklet, Terrific Tips for Christmas, by Jurek Leon, a sales trainer and consultant, such as: “make every customer feel special,” “use your customer’s ideas,” “give your customer ideas,” and “make it fun” – can only help in capturing a consumer sale.
What questions will the sales staff be asking shoppers to help them find what they want and to inspire them to consider items beyond their immediate focus? Carefully crafted questions like, “Is there anything I can help you get a look at?” instead of a questions which allow for the response of “No, I’m just looking” can only increase the possibility that a purchase will be made in that store, according to Sean McPheat, Managing Director of MTD Sales Training, a global sales training firm.
While many consumers may be focusing on larger ticket items during the holiday season, what can stores serving “everyday” shopping needs do to attract consumer attention as well? Special merchandising, of course, comes to mind, and hopefully all is already in place for this in these last seven days before Christmas.
Discussion Questions: What else can retail staff do to help consumers shop for everyday needs so they have a pleasant experience, find what they need, and leave the store happy to return there the next time? How can retailers selling general merchandise and health beauty wellness products keep relevant to the harried Christmas shopper in the next week?
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Training! Training! Training must be done 365 days a year so that the retailer can profit it from it when he needs to most, during key seasonal times and with relative shifts in the business overall.
I have found that it is best to continually enforce the the value of merchandising to sell, focusing on proper signage, and being in stock on ad related merchandise. We have found that we have the best results when we have a sale related contest focusing on reaching our end goal which rewards those who reach for the stars and beyond. The key with the contest as a motivator is seeking the correct baseline or you will be disappointed as it will not motivate, but discourage.
So, the key to capturing the Holiday consumer is the daily proposition that this must be continually enforced through effective merchandising communication and planned training and development with the operations teams at store level.
Hours are at a premium; there is very little “help” in the aisles to assist customers in HBC departments.
I would suggest beefing up the staff/hours and training employees to smile and offer any help they can, even if it means going into another area of the store.
Make your shopper feel appreciated for coming into your store/department.
As shelves are already stocked with what you have and employees should be trained at this point, day-to-day management of stress and tasks is an important part of getting consumers in and getting them to spend.
The hectic environment of retail stores at this time of year leads to lackadaisical approaches to organization, presentation, and professionalism displayed by employees. All of which have a direct effect on the stores and how they are perceived by shoppers.
So 20 people are waiting in line to ask you a question, that doesn’t mean you can’t take a second to clear a path down a cluttered aisle so other customers can get through. A simple pep talk at the beginning of a shift can work wonders. “Stay calm, work fast, and remember where you are” are words that when drilled into a sales associate’s head, can work wonders.
Sales Contest! Daily Bonus Awards! Break-Room Competition Chart! More people on the floor. Don’t scrimp on wages. Let the sales people use their unique personal strengths to sell more stuff–don’t tell them how to sell. If they don’t know by now, they never will.
Yeah! Yesterday I finished up the stocking stuffers for the female teens and young women in my life. After hitting a few of the mall anchor stores where I found little of interest to buy, and also that there was little sales help available outside the register areas, I ended up at LUSH, a tiny, storefront in the mall. I had received a young lady’s specific request for a gift card from this establishment, a small British company that sells all-natural ingredient handmade soaps, creams and skincare products. I ended up spending several hundred dollars there on products and finished up my shopping list on the spot.
Let me explain what LUSH did right. The products themselves are unique, with riotously fun colors, names, presentation, and displays. The company’s ethic is organic and of nature. The store smelled fresh and and looked great the minute one entered. The store focuses on one thing and one thing only. The sales staff, (young like everywhere else) was enthused about the products, knew the line, asked questions about the intended recipients to assure a good “match” and offered generous sniffs and samples so I could choose intelligently. It has been so long since I have encountered an obviously engaged and truly well trained young sales person that I left the store positively elated that it is still possible to encounter one.
The store employees are under just as much stress as the consumers. Dealing with stressed consumers does not help the situation. If more experienced employees can keep an eye on the less experienced employees and intervene when those employees are getting too stressed or help deal with particularly stressed consumers, that can help.
Doing something to relieve stress for the employees would help them calm down when dealing with stressed consumers, too. Things like bringing in lunch, giving an employee a quick 5 minute break, or doing something to make employees and consumers laugh could help break the tension.
There are many things that retailers can do to improve the ability of their sales associates to add value to customer’s experience, but the question focused on the next week, the last week of the Christmas selling season. The fact is that the customer to salesperson ratio becomes overwhelming for most retailers, and the press of customers severely limits the ability of many retailers to focus attention on individual customers.
The things customers most appreciate at this point in the season is that the store is being continually recovered so they can find what they are looking for, that key items are in stock, and that checkout flows as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Shopping at this point is at its most stressful, so whatever retailers can do to make the last-minute shopping experience as stress-free as possible goes a very long way toward building long term customer loyalty.
Product, price, promotion, place. These are all important parts of the marketing equation, but during the final few weeks of December, the number one concern is inventory.
Most stores suffer huge out of stocks, and without product, they cannot create sales. As anyone who has gone out on the 23rd or the 24th will tell you, inventory is the most important part of the marketing equation which is missing from almost every store.
Any store with inventory will sell it during these last 2 days before Christmas. Finding any type of selection is the key for a shopper, and offering it is the key for retailers.
I found the article very interesting for a couple of reasons…
1. It is the first article that I have read on RetailWire that really hits at the core of increasing sales. It takes a well staffed store with well trained employees; if you want more from your customer, you need to give more. This should not be something that just happens at Christmas. Smart retailers recognize that the right people on the floor at the right time increases sales. You can do all of the advertising and marketing you want and yes, some people will come in and just buy what you have but if you want to get those incremental sales, it takes the right people, with the right attitude, who enjoy serving others on the floor and those people need the right training.
2. Note, I said the right people at the right time. You need to make sure that you have the right hiring process in place.
3. You need to have trained and motivated the people you have even if they are just part time or temporary employees.
4. You need to staff and schedule based on the amount of service you are willing to provide your customer. If you want more sales, you have to give people a reason to buy more and it is not all about price. At this time of year a lot has to do with the time it takes to shop.
Remember, if you want more you need to give more.
I can tell you the types of things I’ve seen to boost morale so far this season: at one store, one of the merchandise services vendors brought in a huge tray of sandwiches for lunches. That seems to be a popular one–I saw that at another store just the other day, where the store had lunch catered in. At another store, supervisors were handing out tickets to cashiers who were moving their lines and generally staying cheery–I have no idea what they were for, but I assume they could be accumulated for bonuses or merchandise.
I don’t think it has to be big things to keep employees up–your own attitude, little surprises, things that reflect at least a little bit of thought….
Have fun! Most store associates seem so stressed out to me. Why can’t they relax and have fun with the shoppers? Here are some questions that the sales associates might consider asking shoppers to break the ice and reduce the stress of shopping…
What’s the toughest gift on your shopping list?
What could we do to make this easier for you?
Can we hold those bags for you while you shop?
How long did it take you to find a parking space?
Are you a last minute shopper who needs some inspiration?
Loosen up retailers! You’ll get through this.
Anything that raises staff morale will help make the store a better place to shop. For many shoppers, the last few days before Christmas are very stressful. No one likes to leave a lot for the last minute, and when that happens, many people feel pressured, guilty, resentful and cranky. The top 2 goals: helping these shoppers find what they want quickly and cashing them out promptly. The #1 staff morale goal: let them know they’re appreciated by celebrating their achievements. Christmas is meant to be a loving, enjoyable holiday. For many, that goal isn’t second nature.
Saturday I was in the HBC aisle at Meijer, looking at a variety of different products as stocking stuffers for my teenagers. I tried to engage three associates to help, not one had any idea of the answers to the questions I asked. I was encouraged to read the labels. Then, much to my chagrin, while I was reading labels intently, an associate took my cart to the service area, thinking it was an abandoned cart. When I finally found it, most of what I had chosen was no longer in the cart, having been removed to be restocked on the shelf already.
How is that for holiday help?????
Next time I will choose another channel of trade. Paying more at CVS or even Nordstrom will be my two options next year.
Adding to my last post on this topic, management are key players when it comes to sales. The day of back office managers in retail are long gone. I like to see all managers on the sales floor (or Omaha Beach as one assistant manager put it) selling with their associates. A strong customer service presence is critical this time of year for sales and morale.
The simple answer to these questions is engagement. There are so many new products this season that customers are more confused than ever when it comes to gift giving. (“Tell me again the difference between an iPod and a Wii,” is what one really confused customer asked an astonished associate on a recent store tour.)
I cannot stress enough the importance of asking those open ended probing questions to get the customer thinking about what they want. There are tremendous opportunities in HBA this season. Gift set quality is the highest I have ever seen and price points are very competitive. Even the branding is great with higher end lines offering unique sets. We are in crunch time people! Get out there and sell till you see peg board!
Hire, train, coach and develop. This is retail 101, selling general merchandise or health beauty wellness products, the process is the same. The last 4 weeks of the year are not only critical for meeting and exceeding regular customers but also capturing new customer during this time is key.
One of the biggest turn offs is asking the customer “how may I help”? That’s why the employee is there in the first place to add to the brand experience, suggest must haves, preview the store, lead to sales areas, build multiple sales and answer any question customer may have. Creating a positive environment must be modeled by the management team and executed by all associates. Happy Holidays, 1Q 08 is next.
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Training! Training! Training must be done 365 days a year so that the retailer can profit it from it when he needs to most, during key seasonal times and with relative shifts in the business overall.
I have found that it is best to continually enforce the the value of merchandising to sell, focusing on proper signage, and being in stock on ad related merchandise. We have found that we have the best results when we have a sale related contest focusing on reaching our end goal which rewards those who reach for the stars and beyond. The key with the contest as a motivator is seeking the correct baseline or you will be disappointed as it will not motivate, but discourage.
So, the key to capturing the Holiday consumer is the daily proposition that this must be continually enforced through effective merchandising communication and planned training and development with the operations teams at store level.
Hours are at a premium; there is very little “help” in the aisles to assist customers in HBC departments.
I would suggest beefing up the staff/hours and training employees to smile and offer any help they can, even if it means going into another area of the store.
Make your shopper feel appreciated for coming into your store/department.
As shelves are already stocked with what you have and employees should be trained at this point, day-to-day management of stress and tasks is an important part of getting consumers in and getting them to spend.
The hectic environment of retail stores at this time of year leads to lackadaisical approaches to organization, presentation, and professionalism displayed by employees. All of which have a direct effect on the stores and how they are perceived by shoppers.
So 20 people are waiting in line to ask you a question, that doesn’t mean you can’t take a second to clear a path down a cluttered aisle so other customers can get through. A simple pep talk at the beginning of a shift can work wonders. “Stay calm, work fast, and remember where you are” are words that when drilled into a sales associate’s head, can work wonders.
Sales Contest! Daily Bonus Awards! Break-Room Competition Chart! More people on the floor. Don’t scrimp on wages. Let the sales people use their unique personal strengths to sell more stuff–don’t tell them how to sell. If they don’t know by now, they never will.
Yeah! Yesterday I finished up the stocking stuffers for the female teens and young women in my life. After hitting a few of the mall anchor stores where I found little of interest to buy, and also that there was little sales help available outside the register areas, I ended up at LUSH, a tiny, storefront in the mall. I had received a young lady’s specific request for a gift card from this establishment, a small British company that sells all-natural ingredient handmade soaps, creams and skincare products. I ended up spending several hundred dollars there on products and finished up my shopping list on the spot.
Let me explain what LUSH did right. The products themselves are unique, with riotously fun colors, names, presentation, and displays. The company’s ethic is organic and of nature. The store smelled fresh and and looked great the minute one entered. The store focuses on one thing and one thing only. The sales staff, (young like everywhere else) was enthused about the products, knew the line, asked questions about the intended recipients to assure a good “match” and offered generous sniffs and samples so I could choose intelligently. It has been so long since I have encountered an obviously engaged and truly well trained young sales person that I left the store positively elated that it is still possible to encounter one.
The store employees are under just as much stress as the consumers. Dealing with stressed consumers does not help the situation. If more experienced employees can keep an eye on the less experienced employees and intervene when those employees are getting too stressed or help deal with particularly stressed consumers, that can help.
Doing something to relieve stress for the employees would help them calm down when dealing with stressed consumers, too. Things like bringing in lunch, giving an employee a quick 5 minute break, or doing something to make employees and consumers laugh could help break the tension.
There are many things that retailers can do to improve the ability of their sales associates to add value to customer’s experience, but the question focused on the next week, the last week of the Christmas selling season. The fact is that the customer to salesperson ratio becomes overwhelming for most retailers, and the press of customers severely limits the ability of many retailers to focus attention on individual customers.
The things customers most appreciate at this point in the season is that the store is being continually recovered so they can find what they are looking for, that key items are in stock, and that checkout flows as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Shopping at this point is at its most stressful, so whatever retailers can do to make the last-minute shopping experience as stress-free as possible goes a very long way toward building long term customer loyalty.
Product, price, promotion, place. These are all important parts of the marketing equation, but during the final few weeks of December, the number one concern is inventory.
Most stores suffer huge out of stocks, and without product, they cannot create sales. As anyone who has gone out on the 23rd or the 24th will tell you, inventory is the most important part of the marketing equation which is missing from almost every store.
Any store with inventory will sell it during these last 2 days before Christmas. Finding any type of selection is the key for a shopper, and offering it is the key for retailers.
I found the article very interesting for a couple of reasons…
1. It is the first article that I have read on RetailWire that really hits at the core of increasing sales. It takes a well staffed store with well trained employees; if you want more from your customer, you need to give more. This should not be something that just happens at Christmas. Smart retailers recognize that the right people on the floor at the right time increases sales. You can do all of the advertising and marketing you want and yes, some people will come in and just buy what you have but if you want to get those incremental sales, it takes the right people, with the right attitude, who enjoy serving others on the floor and those people need the right training.
2. Note, I said the right people at the right time. You need to make sure that you have the right hiring process in place.
3. You need to have trained and motivated the people you have even if they are just part time or temporary employees.
4. You need to staff and schedule based on the amount of service you are willing to provide your customer. If you want more sales, you have to give people a reason to buy more and it is not all about price. At this time of year a lot has to do with the time it takes to shop.
Remember, if you want more you need to give more.
I can tell you the types of things I’ve seen to boost morale so far this season: at one store, one of the merchandise services vendors brought in a huge tray of sandwiches for lunches. That seems to be a popular one–I saw that at another store just the other day, where the store had lunch catered in. At another store, supervisors were handing out tickets to cashiers who were moving their lines and generally staying cheery–I have no idea what they were for, but I assume they could be accumulated for bonuses or merchandise.
I don’t think it has to be big things to keep employees up–your own attitude, little surprises, things that reflect at least a little bit of thought….
Have fun! Most store associates seem so stressed out to me. Why can’t they relax and have fun with the shoppers? Here are some questions that the sales associates might consider asking shoppers to break the ice and reduce the stress of shopping…
What’s the toughest gift on your shopping list?
What could we do to make this easier for you?
Can we hold those bags for you while you shop?
How long did it take you to find a parking space?
Are you a last minute shopper who needs some inspiration?
Loosen up retailers! You’ll get through this.
Anything that raises staff morale will help make the store a better place to shop. For many shoppers, the last few days before Christmas are very stressful. No one likes to leave a lot for the last minute, and when that happens, many people feel pressured, guilty, resentful and cranky. The top 2 goals: helping these shoppers find what they want quickly and cashing them out promptly. The #1 staff morale goal: let them know they’re appreciated by celebrating their achievements. Christmas is meant to be a loving, enjoyable holiday. For many, that goal isn’t second nature.
Saturday I was in the HBC aisle at Meijer, looking at a variety of different products as stocking stuffers for my teenagers. I tried to engage three associates to help, not one had any idea of the answers to the questions I asked. I was encouraged to read the labels. Then, much to my chagrin, while I was reading labels intently, an associate took my cart to the service area, thinking it was an abandoned cart. When I finally found it, most of what I had chosen was no longer in the cart, having been removed to be restocked on the shelf already.
How is that for holiday help?????
Next time I will choose another channel of trade. Paying more at CVS or even Nordstrom will be my two options next year.
Adding to my last post on this topic, management are key players when it comes to sales. The day of back office managers in retail are long gone. I like to see all managers on the sales floor (or Omaha Beach as one assistant manager put it) selling with their associates. A strong customer service presence is critical this time of year for sales and morale.
The simple answer to these questions is engagement. There are so many new products this season that customers are more confused than ever when it comes to gift giving. (“Tell me again the difference between an iPod and a Wii,” is what one really confused customer asked an astonished associate on a recent store tour.)
I cannot stress enough the importance of asking those open ended probing questions to get the customer thinking about what they want. There are tremendous opportunities in HBA this season. Gift set quality is the highest I have ever seen and price points are very competitive. Even the branding is great with higher end lines offering unique sets. We are in crunch time people! Get out there and sell till you see peg board!
Hire, train, coach and develop. This is retail 101, selling general merchandise or health beauty wellness products, the process is the same. The last 4 weeks of the year are not only critical for meeting and exceeding regular customers but also capturing new customer during this time is key.
One of the biggest turn offs is asking the customer “how may I help”? That’s why the employee is there in the first place to add to the brand experience, suggest must haves, preview the store, lead to sales areas, build multiple sales and answer any question customer may have. Creating a positive environment must be modeled by the management team and executed by all associates. Happy Holidays, 1Q 08 is next.