Have you done any customer research lately? Have you ever thought about customer research? If not, you may be missing out on a great way to increase register rings and profits. It's fairly simple and requires some discipline and consistency, but the results will be well worth the effort.
Customer research can be as simple as conducting a survey within the store or as elaborate as focus group sessions. In the case of tobacco outlets and the limited funds and manpower available, customer intercepts and “checkout surveys” can be a very useful tool.
Stop the Customer!
As I mentioned earlier, getting the most out of customer research requires some discipline and consistency. Set up a calendar in your office in which you pick one or two days a month to be out in the store environment to mingle with customers and ask questions. During those days, make it a point to speak with 15 to 20 customers and ask general questions about the store, the merchandise and tobacco products offered, and any suggestions for improvements. Some sample questions might be:
• Is there something you are looking for that we do not offer?
• Is the store easy to navigate/figure out?
• Would you be interested in a monthly mailing with promotional offerings?
The key is to engage with the customer for a couple of minutes and listen to what they have to say. When finished, recap your conversation in a notebook for future reference.
Register Recap
Another easy-to-implement form of customer research is a check out survey. At the point of payment, you can ask customers to quickly fill out a small survey about their experience at the store. Did they find what they were looking for? Is there something that they would buy consistently if stocked? If they don’t have the time, a couple of quick questions can be asked while cashing them out. Again, this requires some discipline and consistency to record what was learned. Offering people a small gift—a disposable lighter, a cigar, etc.—is a good way to get people motivated to answer questions. People feel obligated to participate once they receive a gift.
Now What?
After a couple of months, you might be able to see some patterns of information. For example, customers are looking for smoke odor eliminator candles, which you have never stocked. Or, they would like to try other products, but can’t afford to buy them separately. To capitalize on that opportunity, you can put together sample baskets for people to try a number of different products. Some customers might say that they weren’t aware that you carried such-and-such and item. This could lead you to develop a monthly mailer or some other form of communication to get the word out.
Customer information is invaluable. It takes a lot more money and effort to attract new customers than it does to retain existing customers. And those customers who have a positive experience tell their friends and business associates. Get a leg up on competition. Make customer research a necessary part of your annual marketing plan. •