Is Your Store a Torture Chamber?

Creating a Companion-Friendly Store

– Don Capman, President, J.D. Associates

Do you remember the days when women wore “picture hats?” Every Sunday morning in church, I would find myself sitting behind the remains of a peacock or a flower garden resting on someone’s head. No matter how stylish picture hats were way back then, to this day, I still harbor a deep resentment for them. Why should a hat evoke such feelings you ask? Do you have any idea how many hours went into choosing that hat? Well, I do, since I was the impatient kid standing around in Filene’s while my mother tried on each and every hat in the place. Since there was nothing better to do than pick on my younger brother, those torturous shopping excursions usually got me into a lot of trouble. So, what am I getting at? As retailers, we try to make the shopping experience for the consumer as pleasant as possible. Furthermore, as specialty retailers, we try to keep our inventories fresh, deep, unique and exciting. We also try to create an atmosphere that invites the consumer to come back often. But what if the primary consumer is dragging along a companion, be it a child, spouse, or friend, who has no interest in your merchandise?

How much thought do we give to them? Because we don’t pay enough attention to the companion’s needs, what should be an enjoyable experience for the primary consumer and a profitable one for the retailer, could turn pretty ugly and result in lost sales and customers.

What can we do to create an environment that is companion-friendly?

• START TO TAKE NOTICE OF YOUR CUSTOMER’S COMPANIONS— Depending on the type of store you have, who do your customers bring with them when they shop? For example, in the Filene’s hat department, women shoppers often brought along the kids and a spouse.
• ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMPANIONS— Sometimes we are so preoccupied with our customers that we can make companions feel unwelcome or unimportant. This can create a bad taste and will influence what the companion later says about their experience in your store. Train your staff to acknowledge companions.
• ASSESS THE INTERESTS OF COMPANIONS— For example, if you own a women’s apparel shop, and the companions are often children, playing and coloring are a good guess. If it’s a male companion, sports may be right on.
• MAKE ROOM IN YOUR STORE FOR COMPANIONS— For instance, if children are frequently companions, set aside a small section of your store that will be a designated play area. Since you don’t want toys all over your store, create a little playpen with attractive crates. Have sales associates who might not be busy interact with the children. This will make the shopping experience enjoyable for the customer and companion. If you find that you have a lot of male companions, make a small sitting area with light refreshments, a television and or some male oriented magazines.
• WELCOME THE COMPANION BACK FOR A FUTURE VISIT— We naturally welcome the customer back. Welcome the companion back as well. A smile and an invitation to come back will create positive feelings about your store. Customers and companions will want to come back.

As retail becomes more and more challenging, outstanding customer service is the essential for success. Your customers don’t live in a vacuum. They often bring disinterested companions into your store. If everyone feels good about the atmosphere in your store, you are offering good customer service and repeat sales will be much easier to realize. Try to be aware not to create the dreaded “picture hat” experience in your store. Companion-friendly equals outstanding customer service.