IT’S YOUR UP
Convenience from the Customer’s Perspective
M
Tom Jennings Retail Training Expert
any times, when visiting with locally owned flooring retailers, I will ask them what primary advantage they feel that they have over the national chain stores. The response that I seem to hear most often is, “we are more convenient to do business with” or “we give better service”. When asking them to further explain their beliefs, these dealers almost always explain that they can deliver a more satisfactory purchase than the chain stores. While this may often be the case, I am convinced that too often the local store never had the opportunity to make their presentation, since they did not ask themselves what defined convenience from the customer’s perspective. Let’s examine some items that define convenience in the customer’s eyes:
Hours of Operation
Tom Jennings is a lifelong member of the flooring business. Since selling his family’s retail business in 2006, he has served the industry as an educator and speaker. He is a past board chairman of the WFCA and is currently the board chairman of WFCA
This is one area in which I believe the chain stores have gained the greatest advantage over independent retailers. Let’s face the facts — people like to shop evenings and weekends. As proof, examine your buying habits. This is when the majority of major purchases are made. I have seen statistics that indicate that over 50% of the retail flooring sales are made between 6 pm Friday and 6 pm Sunday. You don’t have to like this fact — but you do have to acknowledge it. If your store is not available to be shopped the majority of these hours, you are likely denying your business the opportunity to serve a large portion of the retail market. Customers view expanded hours as convenient.
Services, Inc. He may be reached at tomg.jennings@gmail.com
Availability of Credit Today most retailers have credit plans available to them. An alarming number of them, however, do not seem to embrace them as a major tool to increase volume. The chain stores are constantly using financing as a primary tool to increase the number of sales and the average ticket size. Why all the emphasis on credit? Because customers respond! You cannot sell credit as an afterthought. It must be a primary part of your offer and you must understand how it works from both the customer’s and the suppliers’ point-of-view. Having credit readily available and knowledgeably presented is viewed as convenient by the customer. Fumbling around with the paperwork and time-consuming details is not. Do your credit homework today!
44 Premier Flooring Retailer | Digital 2 2020
