While online shopping has eliminated the need to exchange any kind of niceties with shop assistants (no one likes being pounced on as soon as they arrive in a store) it has also removed any physical human interaction which might have resulted in more product knowledge, confidence and actual joy in your purchase. (I don't know about you, but I still get a nagging doubt about my decision after buying anything on the web.)
Online shopping in the UK may be estimated to reach 81bn euros in 2011, according to the latest figures from IMRG, the UK's industry association for global retailing, but retailers are recognising there is still money to be made on the high street with the right proposition.
Holland & Barrett have just announced that it's shifting its marketing away from price promotions to focus more on its employees' expertise. It's a strategy Elliott House thinks is worth shouting about. It could be just the tonic for information-starved consumers who want reassurance that they're buying the correct product - rather than ignorantly shoving a packet of vitamins in the trolley alongside their frozen peas at the supermarket.
In a similar vein, retail guru Mary Portas is on a mission to bring a lot of love back to the high street. Her exploits in setting up her own shop in House of Fraser are currently being aired on Channel 4 and while she is focused on creating a better high street experience for older women, the principles she sets out about customer service should be on any store's shopping list.
"Shopping is about a sensory experience," explains Mary in the House of Fraser video below. "I want customers who come into this shop to feel cared about, loved. I want them to think: 'the time I was in that shop I was truly looked after.' And then I want them to feel fantastic."
Investing in a better shopping environment means investing in employees. Mary shows, as is Holland & Barrett, that staff training, product knowledge and communication are key to pulling people through the door.
Customers want to be served by staff who believe in the brand, that understand the product and can help them to shop in confidence. And employees need to feel valued, knowledgable and informed to be able to do their jobs well.
Regular and effective internal communication can help retailers deliver those goals and beat the competition.
Holland & Barrett have just announced that it's shifting its marketing away from price promotions to focus more on its employees' expertise. It's a strategy Elliott House thinks is worth shouting about. It could be just the tonic for information-starved consumers who want reassurance that they're buying the correct product - rather than ignorantly shoving a packet of vitamins in the trolley alongside their frozen peas at the supermarket.
In a similar vein, retail guru Mary Portas is on a mission to bring a lot of love back to the high street. Her exploits in setting up her own shop in House of Fraser are currently being aired on Channel 4 and while she is focused on creating a better high street experience for older women, the principles she sets out about customer service should be on any store's shopping list.
"Shopping is about a sensory experience," explains Mary in the House of Fraser video below. "I want customers who come into this shop to feel cared about, loved. I want them to think: 'the time I was in that shop I was truly looked after.' And then I want them to feel fantastic."
While 37 million people might shop online in the UK, they and over 23 million others, are still interested in the 'sensory' shopping experience too.
Investing in a better shopping environment means investing in employees. Mary shows, as is Holland & Barrett, that staff training, product knowledge and communication are key to pulling people through the door.
Customers want to be served by staff who believe in the brand, that understand the product and can help them to shop in confidence. And employees need to feel valued, knowledgable and informed to be able to do their jobs well.
Regular and effective internal communication can help retailers deliver those goals and beat the competition.
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