Just looking…

This is probably the most common word that retailer is likely to hear from consumers. Why do customers say “Just looking” and what can we do about it? I believe that “Just looking” consumers split into three groups Group one – looking so they can buy online Group two – responding to sales staff who have not read the situation Group three – browse shoppers The challenge is what can you do about it? One Brisbane speciality food retailer this year announced to consumers on its front door that they were going to charge $5 to every customer that walked in the store and then deduct the $5 when they made a purchase…try managing that one. The Solution Group one consumers: this is the growth zone. More consumers will look and then buy online. This is one reason you need an online presence and you need to promote it in-store. If they go online they should still come to you. Group two: make sure all customers cannot say “just looking”. They are responding to a closed question. Team members should vary rarely be asking a closed question. Train all the team to ask open questions and sales will go up. Group three: they are genuine browsers and if you do your job right they will eventually come back to you and buy.