In an environment in which the flow of content, communication and production is more significant than ever, mass customization in the retail space has become more important than ever. Not only is customer service about providing a quality product, but audiences are now looking for a streamlined, engaging and memorable shopping experience.

In her keynote speech at Retail’s BIG Show, Executive Vice President of US. Market Development at Mastercard, Linda Kirkpatrick, emphasized that there’s a “permanent shift in the way consumers shop and behave.” They’re looking for digital, social and highly customized solutions that bring their whole shopping experience together and assist them in purchasing decisions. As a result, businesses need to make significant shifts in their processes — finding suppliers who are willing to fulfill custom orders, like manufacturer Apple Rubber, is just one example of moves to make in order to adapt. What are some other thing you should focus on? Let’s take a look.

1. Streamline Your Brand Offerings

More than ever, customers want to know that they’re being heard. They want to know what they’re buying into and what experience they’re going to get from each brand. Curating your company’s offerings is important in providing each consumer with a personalized experience — they know exactly what kind of product they’re going to get and the end result of their shopping experience. Get rid of any unpopular items or offerings that don’t fit into your traditional brand mold and replace it with more of the products that highlight who you are and what your customers enjoy. Not only will you likely see an increase in numbers, but customer loyalty will also increase, Shopify says.

If you want help establishing yourself and/or getting new business, contact Will Sherwood, CEO of The Sherwood Group. He can help you reach your goals through strategic graphic design and web design.

2. Provide a Multi-Channel Shopping Experience

By uniting all shopping experiences — from brick-and-mortar to mobile and everything in between — you will be able to link the customer’s preferences and provide them with a superior personalized experience. Think about it: a consumer is browsing your online store and has the luxury to hold items they like at their local brick-and-mortar to try on; or by downloading your app, they get access to exclusive deals, alerts when they’re close to a storefront or personalized maps of stores so they can find what they’re looking for straight away. And the personalization doesn’t even have to come directly to the consumer. According to a study done by Salesforce, 27 percent of millennial shoppers agree that store associates need mobile devices to provide automated product recommendations.

3. Impeccable Customer Service

Whether it’s empowering your store associates with the training and knowledge to offer each consumer valuable advice or creating easy access to support on your digital platforms, offering impeccable customer service is a crucial part of personalizing your shopping experience. As each customer is different, they will have unique needs, requests and in some cases, complaints. As such, you need to ensure that each consumer is taken care of and their concerns are addressed. On digital platforms it can be especially difficult, so create an easy path to communication and provide customers with options like self-service, call centers, email requests and even live chat.

Tailoring your brand to provide a personalized shopping experience is where the retail industry is heading. So take into consideration some of these suggestions, and ensure that your customers remain happy in this ever-changing, fast-paced environment.

Do you need help growing your business? Click here to check out our website design and marketing packages. We can help you achieve your business goals and in the process leave your competition shaken and wondering, “Now, what do we do?”

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to check out these others:

A Simple Definition of “Marketing.”
Four Tips to Get More Visitors to Your Website
Facebook: Small Business Marketing Strategies that Work!
3 Simple Ways to Generate Business on LinkedIn
15 Website Mistakes You Want to Avoid (Part 1)
3 Ways to Increase Your Business Without Resorting to SEO
How to Target Large Clients with Little to No Money
Is There Still Gold in Cold Calling?

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Do you need help growing your business? Click here to check out the social media marketing and website design packages from The Sherwood Group. We’ll help you capture new business and achieve your goals.

“Like” us and/or “Follow” us at these social media sites and we’ll return the favor:

LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

Please comment. We’d like to know if you found this article informative or helpful?