The Verde Group and Wha
rton published a report based that listed the following five
major areas that contribute to a great shopping
experience:
- Engagement: being polite, genuinely caring and
interested in helping, acknowledging and listening.
- Executional
excellence: patiently explaining and advising, checking stock, helping to find
products, having product knowledge and providing unexpected product quality.
- Brand Experience: exciting store design and atmosphere, consistently
great product quality, making customers feel they're special and that they
always get a deal.
- Expediting: being sensitive to customers' time on
long check-out lines, being proactive in helping speed the shopping
process.
- Problem Recovery: helping resolve and compensate for
problems, upgrading quality and ensuring complete
satisfaction
The report states that if a consumer experiences
10 of the above elements from the 29 mentioned above during the same trip,
you have a WOW experience. Now this list is relatively uncomplicated; it
suggests caring, being in a moment, putting the customers first, listening to
them, anticipating their needs, satisfying them.... Very uncomplicated and
simple. However, if it is quite simple, why is service so bad and why do
only 35% of the shoppers studied by Verde experience a WOW at retail in 6
months?
Service is simple. But the world's inability to master
this relatively uncomplicated activity is complex and thus the
wonderment.
.
