In the fast-paced business world we live in it is vital to analyse your customer journey. From the point of entry all the way through to the buying decision. Whether you are an online business or rely on walk-in customers, the need for a overall great customer experience is essential to your business success. Knowing how to blend the two together can optimise your customers’ experience. Here’s what to do:

Make your brand and store easily accessible

Savvy buyers the world over have come to expect a seamless and integrated buyer experience. The key is to hook them from the very beginning. Many clothing retailers do this by offering online subscribers early access to online sales or sending those on their mailing list discount offers to use in-store or online. This way they ensure both their online and in-store customers get the best of both worlds.

Additionally, signing customers up to reward or loyalty programmes is also a good entry point. Even restaurants are using this tactic to engage with customers online to try and improve their customer experience through online competitions and getting tags on social media.

Get personal

The next step is to get to know your customers. Once they have signed up, you have access to their likes and dislikes, and can track their preferences. This allows you to personalise their shopping experience even further. Many big retailers send their loyal customers discount vouchers in the month of their birthday. Others pick up when something has been left in their online basket and subsequently send the customer a discount for that specific item. These are all great ways to ensure customers feel valued and looked after.

Always by your side

We harp on about great customer service but it is truly an important aspect of any business. With walk-in customers it is perhaps a little easier to guide customers through the buying decision and getting them to the point of sale but what happens after is even more important. Again, big retailers are one step ahead here. They jump at the opportunity to ask you how you rate your experience with them almost as soon as you’ve left the door. Sending customers a quick survey about their experience is a great way to engage and find out what you’re doing right, or wrong, whatever the case may be.

For your online customers having support and access to customer service is just as important. Anything from having a live chat support team to a dedicated phone line that provides advice to customers are good ways to ensure a smooth buying journey for your online customers.

Keep customers coming back

By keeping your customers in the loop on what’s going on (like upcoming sales, new products, special in-store events and so forth), you can further personalise their experience and keep them coming back to you. Therefore, keeping your online profile up to date with the latest developments and telling customers what’s happening in your store is really important, even if you don’t sell online.

Additionally, feature your brand regularly on social media platforms (such as Instagram or Facebook), make sure profiles are always up-to-date and invite customers to engage on these platforms by sharing their experiences through comments and relevant hashtags.