Communication is a key component in any business, and retail is no exception. As retail business owners spend most of their time selling products, maintaining inventory, and serving customers, they often suffer from communication holes, affecting the processes and people negatively.
Strong internal and external communication in retail would help the business reap positive outcomes while keeping the customers and employees happy.
In this guide, let us try to understand why a retail communication strategy is essential and how businesses can get started with it.
In this digital era, it is easy to think that most people shop online. However, people still prefer shopping in-store after researching products and comparing prices on the internet. Up to 75 percent of shoppers like a human interaction during a purchase.
Retail employees have the ability to attract customers, build loyalty and boost sales. It is, therefore, necessary to build a knowledgeable workforce with in-depth information about the company, products, and services.
Here are some reasons organizations should work on retail communication strategy.
Clear and effective communication influences customers directly. Most customers are likely to purchase from a brand repeatedly if they receive friendly customer service.
Teams should try to handle customer interactions properly by listening to their complaints and answering their questions.
When a retail business succeeds at customer satisfaction, it gets better trust in the brand, resulting in repeat orders and new customers.
Interacting with customers can go a long way in establishing trust. Take measures to provide employees the resources they need to deliver excellent customer service.
With simple, unified communication methods like social intranets, employees are likely to feel valued and involved.
Organizations should use social features, communities, and information sharing to boost engagement and retention.
Though there are several ways to facilitate effective internal communication, it is essential to ensure that employees stay connected all the time for better problem-solving.
Shared calendars, instant messaging tools, remote document access, and other features provide the much-needed flexibility for productive collaboration.
Communication within a retail business should involve all the employees, not only those who work in the main office.
People who interact with the customers are the voice of the brand and should not be overlooked. Here are some communication strategies that prove to be effective for retail businesses.
A social platform that belongs to the business allows your employees to engage with each other and the company.
A mobile platform is not only effective at boosting engagement but also building a network that delivers desired results. A dedicated mobile app creates a stream to keep the sales teams fully equipped with the latest information and updates.
The sales staff in a retail business usually holds some of the most valuable insights and pieces of information.
Encourage these employees, during meetings, to reveal insights, issues, and updates that would benefit the management as well as employees.
While digital tools can cover all the communication gaps, scheduling a meetup once in a while complements technology-based communication. In-person meetings have some energy that may reflect in your digital workspace as well.
One of the biggest mistakes a retail business can make is to have no internal communication plan. These organizations generally depend on local managers for corporate information passed to employees in different stores.
Having a solid plan allows managers to focus on delivering the most significant messages and applying the critical business objectives while targeting the right audience and using the best channels.
If you don't have a communication plan, the first step is to have one. It not only works as a roadmap to improve communication with employees but also keeps the workforce accountable.
The plan should outline how and when communication occurs, what it should be about, and who is responsible for it. Having a plan without implementation is no good, so you should also see that the management is ready to work towards the communication goals.
With the latest advances in technology and the cloud, there are several options for those who want to implement an effective retail communication strategy.
Keeping up with the latest trends provides new and effective means of doing business, increasing your customer satisfaction, sales and productivity. Let us look at some useful communication tools for retail business.
Modern digital platforms are built to facilitate internal communication and connect people across locations. This is quite useful in the retail industry as managers and executives can communicate in real-time while saving valuable time through a centralized platform. Retailers can use the intranet to make sure there is minimum noise in the communication.
This type of communication tool is useful where not much of the information is absorbed by team members.
It is a passive method of information sharing that allows updating information instantly and integrating existing data to the screen. These screens solve the problem of silos across the company sites.
An automated retail solution allows capturing feedback from customers through online surveys. These tools collect information about what the customers think about your products, what their preferences are, and other useful details. Results help you improve your products, services, customer support, and communication.
Emails are excellent communication tools for retail and can be easily personalized based on customer profiles, preferences, data, and dates.
Everything is done automatically – personalized promotions catering to the unique needs of customers are sent out. Newsletters often carry coupons to increase business.
A communication in retail can either take place within the organization or extend outward towards the customer. Here are the two main types of communication in a retail business.
No matter what size of business you have, internal communication plays a vital role. When it comes to retail, employee interaction is more critical. The way you communicate with employees and the practices for effective internal communication directly affect the customer experience.
In retail businesses, communication occurs from top to down with policies traveling down from the managers to the floor staff. Inefficiencies within this channel not only create disorganization but also adversely affect customer experiences. It is also important to think about the way information gets distributed across departments and the methods to make sure every member is on the same page.
The top-down retail communication method directly influences your customers and hence your bottom line. A simple thing like a poorly-trained employee could leave a negative effect on the overall customer experience, regardless of the type of communication, whether over the phone, in the store, or by email.
Employees should not only be trained to manage communication effectively but should also have instant access to the latest information about the company and products. Communication with customers is the core of the brand value. Having an informed, well-trained staff that stays up-to-date on the latest information enables you to create a positive customer experience.
Developing a retail communication strategy is not simple at all. However, by creating a communication plan, engaging the right audiences, and using the most effective tools, it can be made easier. Don't forget the impact of internal retail communication. A well-informed workforce not only boosts your bottom line but also improves customer experiences and brand reputation.
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