After the In-Store Shopper Moments
Congratulations, retail marketer. That was one heck of an In-Store Shopper Moment.
You did your homework. You got inside the shopper’s head and discovered what truly makes her tick. You took time to understand the kind of relationship she wants to have with your brand. You developed a provocative insight. You tapped into your deepest creative reserves and shaped a concept that was magnificent, but never before attempted.
So you screwed up your courage and hit the retail sales floor with an interaction that was fresh, awe- (and ahhhh!-) inspiring and totally shopper-centric. It was a Moment that only your brand could pull off.
It was surprising. And meaningful. It was intimate and emotional. It was a Moment that satisfied the shopper on every level.
Brilliant work.
What happens next?
The shopper does something. Ideally, she does several things.
Here are The Best Ten Things a Shopper Can Do After Her In-Store Shopper Moments:
She can show the world. The shopper has an online audience – a group of friends and family and strangers that she wants to share with and impress. The smart retail marketer will give her the means – and the reason – to post about the brand on her social platforms.
Give her an opportunity for an amazing visual and you will exponentially increase the chances of the In-Store Shopper Moment showing up on her Pinterest page, her Facebook feed, her Twitter stream and her Snapchat story. (Be sure to incentivize her to share on the brand’s social channels as well.)
She can buzz about the brand. Don’t underestimate the value and the power of old-school word-of-mouth. Shoppers (actually, everyone) love having a great story to tell. So give her one.
Pack her In-Store Shopper Moment with details, surprises, twists and emotional highpoints. Allow her to take the leading role in the story (it is hers, after all); the brand should be thrilled with a supporting part.
She can show a little love. It’s not just heart-warming when the shopper demonstrates and articulates appreciation for an outstanding Moment. It’s good retail business. Her “thank-you” deepens the relationship, furthers the conversation and confirms her loyalty.
And when she does it online, her kind words are seen (again and again) as an authentic endorsement of the brand.
She can give credit where credit is due. It’s great when the shopper delivers an “attaboy.” It is decidedly less great if she thanks the wrong brand.
Showman George M. Cohan once famously said, “I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.” He’s totally right about that second part. That’s why it is critical for an In-Store Shopper Moment to be unique to the brand creating it, and executed in a tone and voice that can’t be mistaken for anyone else. When the shopper does hand out kudos, the right brand is on the receiving end.
She can offer the brand some feedback. When the shopper reaches out to the brand with a “thank-you,” that’s great. When she takes the time and thought to share feedback and ideas about her In-Store Shopper Moment, that’s a whole other level of success.
A shopper outreach like this signals many important things; that the shopper cares enough to have and offer opinions, that she is interested in building a dialogue with the brand, and that she sees the brand as one worthy of her time.
She can buy something. That’s critical, of course. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that making the sale is the culmination of the relationship.
She can plan to return to the store… Once the shopper thinks of your brand as one that consistently delivers satisfying In-Store Shopper Moments, she will start considering the physical space as a destination (rather than a place simply to shop) deserving of numerous visits.
…and she can bring friends. Many shoppers enjoy being the maven – that savvy, plugged-in person who knows where the best and the newest and the most special always are. If her In-Store Shopper Moment is outstanding enough – if the interaction between brand and shopper stands out as unusually meaningful or valuable – the maven will be proud to introduce it to her friends. (And take the credit for the amazing discovery.)
She can linger and enjoy another Moment. The smart retail marketer creates In-Store Shopper Moments that are satisfying – on their own, and as a creative whole. The shopper must be confident that every Moment she encounters, while thematically and executionally different, will consistently be of superior quality and worthy of her time.
She can love the brand. Shoppers are quite capable of loving the brands that treat them well, and they are eager to have their deep feelings justified and affirmed. In-Store Shopper Moments mean romance, and romance must be nurtured. Woe is the brand that ignores, disrespects or deceives the significant other. Betray her trust or break her heart and the shopper will find another who really appreciates her.