Welcome to 2018… the official year of the World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and based on the Chinese New Year – the year of the Dog!
For all EU countries, it’s also the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But, don’t worry, we’re not going to go there – well not in this blog anyway. This blog is about the extra services for customers that you can offer in 2018.
So here we are – the first week of January, and it’s time to take stock of the highs and lows of last year. Was there something that went really well for you, or something that you tried, but it didn’t quite pay off? Whatever your successes and the not so successful plans, now is a great time to think about what you want to do to drive business and keep your customers coming in.
Local businesses are becoming more and more important to communities, especially in rural locations. And with the banks removing their branches, the onus is beginning to fall to local businesses to grow and meet the ever-changing customer expectations. So now is an ideal time to start offering your community and customers a ‘little extra’.
And what do those little extra services for customers look like? Parcel collection? Post Office services? Bill payments? Cash machine? (We can help with this one.) Whatever you decide to do, any additional service that offers your customers the chance to go to one local site and deal with multiple tasks, means you’ll be onto a winner.
According to the Customers 2020: A Progress Report, the customer experience stands head and shoulders above price and product, and it’s interesting to see customers becoming more focused on the service they receive and less about the price. We’re not saying the customer isn’t cost conscious – they are, but by offering a ‘little extra’ such as additional services or raising money for a local charity, you’re displaying your community spirit. For example, 79% of shops participate in community activities to support the customers in their area. Your customer is changing and in turn we need to adapt and change with them.
Parcel/Postal Services
With more people shopping online, the amount of products returned has also rocketed. Many of these returns are sent back via courier or post, especially to online – only retailers. Stats show that 50% of stores now have parcel services for customers or post office services available, do you?
Coffee Machines (Appliances)
‘It’s the little things that count!’ Just like a coffee machine. Picture this: you’ve been driving for 4 hours because your partner said it would be cheaper to drive. Your eyes are getting heavy, but you’ve still got an hour left. You stop off at the nearest convenience store, but to your horror, they don’t have a coffee machine. NOOOOOOOO. Now back to reality, do you really want to put your customer through that? Statistics show that 19% of shops have coffee machines available and you could be one of them!
Cash Machine
Did you know that according to the ACS Local Shop Report 2017, 58% of shops now have ATMs? It not only benefits the footfall of your store but it also benefits the customer (76% of customers pay by cash), to find out how just check out this blog!
If you’re interested in adding a cash machine service to your business, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to book an appointment for you to meet one of our team… and good luck in 2018!!