A mobile-ready site which breaks arrangements down by categories makes it easy for customers to shop with The Enchanted Florist in Ashland, Oregon.
The pursuit of delighting customers might be simpler than you think.
According to a Harvard Business Review survey, customers rarely patronize a company specifically because of its over-the-top service. Rather, they pick — and stick with — businesses that make shopping quick and painless.
“Our research shows, loyalty has a lot more to do with how well companies deliver on their basic, even plain-vanilla promises than on how dazzling the service experience might be,” the study’s authors said. In other words, what customers REALLY want is an airline that doesn’t misplace their bags, a cable company whose technicians arrive at appointments on time, and a florist that delivers the correct flowers to the correct recipient on time.
Avoiding the biggest blunder (a botched delivery) is an obvious goal of every retail florist. But there may be other areas of your business you can tweak to make it more user friendly for your customers.
At SAF Amelia Island 2015, keynote speaker Daniel Levine discussed “pain points,” obstacles that inconvenience customers.
“Humans are busier than they’ve ever been before,” said Levine, who serves as director of The Avant-Guide Institute, a global trends consultant, and editor of WikiTrend. “If you are able to make their lives simpler, customers will appreciate and reward you.”
To identify your pain points, look at your business from a customer’s perspective, Levine said. “They have to find you, figure out what they want, order it and pay.”
Consider the following:
- Your website
Do you have an intuitive URL? Can customers find you with a basic search? Can customers browse you easily on a smartphone or tablet? Do they need a magnifying glass to find the “Contact Us” button?
How are your products organized? Can a neophyte flower buyer (who doesn’t want to actually bother talking with a sales person) quickly locate a design appropriate for a hospital patient or a girlfriend’s birthday or a hostess gift?
What’s the checkout process like? How many fields does the customer have to fill out and how many buttons does he have to push? Do you have it setup so he can create a user profile for expedited checkout on future purchases? How about an order confirmation? Do you email this to the customer or do you force them to print it out and keep track themselves?
- Your hours
Are you strictly 9 to 5, or do you extend your hours during busy shopping times (such as the encroaching holidays)? Do busy professionals ever have an opportunity to browse your showroom in person? Think about prom season. Many teenagers participate in after-school activities that have them busy until at least dinnertime. If you don’t accommodate them by opening on Saturdays or having an occasional late night, you might miss out on a lot of corsage and boutonniere sales.
- Your parking lot
Can customers easily get to you? If they can’t find parking, don’t expect much foot traffic. If you are located in a congested area, address this on your website and direct customers to the closest public parking lots. Even if the space isn’t immediately adjacent to your shop, if customers have a plan before they leave the house, they will be much less frustrated than if they end up circling the block over and over and over again.
For more advice from Levine, click here to check out the slideshow from his presentation, “What They Want, Baby You Got It (Or Do You?)”
