We sell in so many different ways today since the onset of the internet. The way we sell in one environment will often be quite different to how we sell in another. Whether selling in a shop, on the phone, online or some other way; it is important to understand the environment that the seller and buyer are connecting in; and use that environment in the best way possible to affect sales.
Ways to encourage people to buy
As we have already said, the physical environment is important in encouraging people to buy. So when planning a store, warehouse or market stall, you are trying to encourage people to buy. To buy, people need to be able to see what you have to offer or feel able to ask if they can’t see what they want.
Make sure your products are well displayed. They should be tidy and well-organised. Make sure that similar products are together. For example, in a general store, you will want the same sweets together and the prices clearly indicated. It would be confusing to have chocolates scattered around the shop, some with soft drinks, others displayed with candy, and others located in the toy section of the shop. Similarly it will be a disincentive to purchase if the customer has to ask in order to find out the cost of the chocolates. Good organisation helps the customer to see what you are selling.
In a sweet store, it would be good to keep all the chocolate together, all the sweets together and so on, then customers can browse.
Shelves should be continually stocked. If someone comes to a store and wants a particular brand of chocolate, they can’t see it, so they walk away and go elsewhere. It may be that you have more chocolate in the stockroom, but hadn’t bothered to put it out. So stocks should always be keep up to date.
If you are running out of a product, you can draw this to people’s attention. “Only ten left!”
Make sure food is displayed in date order. Put the nearest date first, then later dates further away down the shelf. For example, if a loaf of bread has a use by date of 7th June; that loaf should be in front of bread that is fresh until 9th June. This is good stock management for you, as it ensures that you are not left with lots of out of date food that you cannot sell.
Some stores will reduce products when they come near to their sell by dates to get rid of the excess stock.
Staffing
Good staff can make or break the sales of a product or service. It doesn’t matter how good a product or service you have, if you don’t have the right people selling it, you may fail. How many times have you been in a shop and the assistants are rude, ignore you, talk to each other or do not try to help. This does happen and can easily lose customers. If a person feels they have been badly treated, they will be less likely to go back to the store. New customers and repeat customers are important, so it is essential that staff are aware that good customer service is essential.