Page 14 - AVN Intimate Spring 2018

FEATURE By Allison TRAvERs
At Their Service
Grow your business by treating customers right
to the advice and assistance
Good customer service relates
you provide before, during
and after a purchase. Are you
taking care of your shoppers’ needs?
Are you providing helpful, high-quality
service and support? While some retailers
believe good customer service requires
time, money and resources they just can’t
afford, smart retailers know unhappy
customers are expensive. A dissatisfied
patron is more likely to return products
or require additional support. Meanwhile,
happy shoppers drive repeat business
and they often spend more each visit.
Most importantly, loyal consumers
generate positive word-of-mouth,
thereby improving your store’s reputation.
Developing customer service skills often
leads to greater customer satisfaction and
increased store engagement. In such a
competitive marketplace, you can’t afford
to neglect these invaluable skills.
Below are a few hints on how to improve
your customers’ retail experience.
Who ARE You?
Have you Googled your store recently? What information shows
up? Is your address correct? Are your store hours listed? Is your
phone number up-to-date? Have you uploaded a few photos of
both the storefront and inside the shop? If you have a web address,
how accurate is the store information provided? Have you filled
out the “about me” section so new customers can “meet” you
before they shop at your store? Does your store have a Facebook
page? Anonymity does not inspire consumer confidence, especially
in the adult retail business. A little personal information can go a
long way to minimize concerns of accessibility, trust and safety.
DWysyWD
Do you “Do What You Say You Will Do?” When you over-
promise and under-deliver, customers remember. Your store’s
credibility is your most valuable currency and every time you
don’t follow through with whatever promises you have made to
your customers, you pay with your integrity. If customers call your
phone number and nobody answers or your voicemail plays an old,
outdated message, you cast doubts on your reputation. If you have
shoppers in your store and you spend more time talking on the
phone than providing face-to-face interaction, your unavailability
will cost you. There are a myriad of little ways you can be more
present and available to those who make the effort to engage with
your store. Honor their effort with your time and attention, and
most of all, do what you say you will do.
REWARD Loyalty
There are so many promotions and discounts to get a new
shopper into your store, but have you thought about rewarding
your most devoted customers? Consider hosting personal shopping
events, where you invite your most ardent supporters to hear
from a local expert on a noteworthy topic, or maybe offer monthly
demonstrations of your newest products. How about starting a
private Facebook group connected to your store’s Facebook account
14 | INTIMATE | SPRING 2018
where your steadfast shoppers can virtually visit to ask questions or engage
with other progressive customers? You might even offer online streaming of
your in-store events to your private Facebook forum. You won’t ever regret the
ongoing benefits of nurturing community. Offering special treatment to your
most devoted shoppers helps to show them you value their loyalty.
When you over-promise and under-deliver,
customers remember. Your store’s
credibility is your most valuable currency.
OFFER KnowlEDge
Knowledge is power and there are too few places in this world where
consumers can comfortably ask intimate, private questions. Sure, doctors
provide medical advice and therapists provide emotional relief, but where
does someone go to ask about giving and getting better orgasms? Helping
people experience more pleasure surely must be one of the world’s greater
goods. If you really want to set your store apart from the competition, become
a Sexual Health Resource through Elevate U, Eldorado’s certified e-learning
program. Elevate U provides sixteen sex-positive sexual health and wellness
lessons designed to prepare adult retailers with essential, medically accurate
knowledge that supports customers buying pleasure products. Eldorado
developed this free program to help retailers elevate their business. There is no
better way to build strong relationships than through education.
Quality relationships are at the heart of great customer service. Whether
you’re interacting with a loyal shopper or a first-time buyer, developing
a strong rapport with your customers is an important part of building
good relationships. How you interact with people matters. Even small
improvements made to your store’s customer service processes can lead to
a more enjoyable experience for them and increased sales for you. Greater
customer satisfaction is a win-win proposition.
This article by Allison Travers, Eldorado Trading’s director of marketing
communications, originally appeared in the adult distributor’s monthly newsletter.
To sign up for the newsletter, email marketing@eldorado.net.