Seeing It From The Shopper's Point Of View: Six Common Retail Tactics That Drive Customers Crazy

| Saturday, December 3, 2011
By Frank Lucer


For generations, retailers - small and big - have been using quite a few approaches to boost the quantity of goods every single customer purchases. Such as, supermarkets frequently carry chewing gum, candy bars, and consumer-specific publications near the checkout lines. That is purposefully done to tempt those waiting in line to buy a lot more than they had planned; these techniques are actually successful for increasing the retailer's revenue

The problem is, more customers than ever before are aware of them, and most importantly, annoyed by them.

The challenge for modest retailers is to constantly improve their earnings while steering clear of irritating their customers. That said, it's worth reviewing the retail strategies customers find the most bothersome. Listed below are six of them:

#1 - The Traditional Upsell Or Cross-Sell

Retailers frequently train their employees to offer shoppers additional products at the checkout register. Occasionally, the tactic is a cross-sell (e.g. "Would you enjoy fries with that?"). Other times, it's in the form of an upsell (e.g. "Would you like to super-size that?"). Customers tend to detest both strategies. Many of them empathize with the staff, who are coached and expected to employ them; the shoppers' irritation is often directed at the merchant.

#2 - Getting The Pricing Wrong

At most retail stores, merchandise with the incorrect costs affixed indicate a harmless error. The store's personnel might have misapplied the incorrect price by accident, or are merely behind in their work. Occasionally, however, a shop may deliberately apply the wrong price with the hope that customers may fail to notice; this is obviously a poor approach. It erodes the trust shoppers have in the shop.

#3 - Monitoring "Savings"

The intention of this strategy is crystal clear: By informing the customer how much cash he or she saved on their purchase, the merchant hopes to encourage them to return. In some cases, the employee at the cash register is required to inform the customer. Other times, the savings are printed on the receipt.

The problem is, most shoppers are already conscious of their cost savings when they get through to the checkout lane. Telling them the sum they ended up saving is needless.

#4 - Frequent Changes To Item Locations

This tactic is dangerous. The store will periodically - and sometimes, frequently - change the places of numerous goods. The purpose is to force shoppers to look for the products in the desire they will stumble across other merchandise that they choose to add to their baskets.

The good reason this approach is dangerous is simply because shoppers can become annoyed to the level that they depart the retailer. And that only hurts the retailer's success.

#5 - Making Shoppers Trek To The Back Of The Store For The Most-Needed Items

This can be a typical tactic used in food markets. The products that shoppers consider to be essential are placed in the back of the shop. Here, the aim is to force customers to walk past items on their way to pick up the "necessities." In doing so, the merchant hopes to compel them to buy additional merchandise.

This tactic is likely to continue for the foreseeable future since it has proven to be so successful. But it is worth noting since it irritates many customers.

#6 - Picking Poor Product Placement When Setting Up Shop

This includes large end caps as well as little stickers and signs. The displays notify the customer that she or he may take advantage of a sale that's active for a specific item. The shopper picks up the item close to the display, and takes it to the checkout counter to purchase it; there, she or he is told the item they have brought to the cashier is in fact not on sale; the customer grabbed the wrong item.

This usually occurs innocently as racks become overcrowded with items; but occasionally, merchants do this for the very same reasons they "accidentally" use the wrong costs. They hope to deceive the customer. This really is, of course, a poor retail strategy.

Improving your retail business's revenue and profit can be an ongoing obstacle. To that end, some of the strategies explained above are effective; but realize that using them is usually a balancing act given that they can bother your shoppers and jeopardize your relationship with them. Follow the steps listed above to avoid a business liquidation.




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