The shopper experience must be taken care of throughout the year, without exception. However, there are certain dates when it costs more, such as different holidays. And among them, Christmas is one of the most demanding, given its social importance. Families get together, give each other gifts, and eat more, which greatly increases consumption quickly.
What problems are there at Christmas?
Christmas imposes a wide variety of problems in stores. One of the main ones is the peak demand that will occur for certain products. Whether it’s foods like nougat or certain toys, you must know how to manage inventories. A failure to forecast can lead to excess or shortage. Although both will cause economic damage, the second also impacts the reputation of the business.
Another important aspect is the influx of customers to the stores, which can collapse the service. It is common for consumers to delay purchases, both due to lack of foresight and in search of better prices. In any case, it is essential to adequately manage those who come. At the end of the day, it’s about giving a good image and not losing sales.
Although Christmas passes, the problems that the campaign brings with it do not end. A clear example is the returns of products that, for one reason or another, do not convince the consumer. This hopes to quickly get rid of unwanted gifts, a very common action. If there are too many requests, the reverse logistics system could collapse, with the negative consequences that entails.
How can you maintain a good experience?
The shopping experience is essential to success, which has led to the development of numerous solutions. One of the most innovative is to encourage home deliveries or go to the store just to pick up the order. Your audience is those buyers who may not want to go to the physical store, regardless of their reasons. However, they do not mind visiting by car, much less receiving their belongings at home.
But, although it seems like a very appropriate solution, it requires a good design of the incentives, especially when Christmas arrives. At the end of the day, the goal is to ensure that consumers do not flock to the store and collapse it. To achieve this objective, hybrid strategies focused on customer experience are proposed. And nothing better than offering additional and valuable services to achieve the expected results.
Businesses around the world are trying different types of approaches to differentiate themselves and attract buyers. For example, the Walmart supermarket chain is extending order pick-up hours. Thus, they offer a service that adapts to the consumer’s schedules. There is also the option to save more products for pickup.
Opting for deliveries when Christmas arrives has numerous benefits. The main one is that the collapse of the stores is avoided due to the number of attendees. Simply, the service will remain fluid for those who go and will avoid having to increase staff. Likewise, the client experiences a fast experience adapted to their needs.
Along with the above, inventory turnover accelerates, something that prevents specific products from stagnating. This is achieved through shipping and in-store pickups. The cost of last-mile deliveries is even reduced, which in turn affects better use of personnel and space. As more items are delivered, the unit cost falls, and having the buyer pick up their order saves delivery time.
Another interesting benefit is taking advantage of impulse purchases as a result of reducing almost all obstacles. You no longer have to go to the store, you have a website for the purchasing process and the products go directly to your home. That is, the effort you must make is minimal, which avoids much reluctance.
However, to obtain the above benefit, it is essential to optimize the purchasing process. One of the keys is in the product delivery experience itself. If the system design or strategy is appropriate, it is possible to achieve great results. However, you have to know the client in depth and the obstacles that could prevent them from making a decision.
A satisfying shopping experience is possible, but it requires careful planning. If achieved, the benefits for the business are clear and very interesting. From reducing costs to improving product rotation at Christmas, designing a good strategy is worth it. Thus, collapses will be a thing of the past.
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