How To Connect With Your Customers This Holiday Season

Contributed by Brooke Cade for Retail Minded. 

In the retail business, the holiday season is a busy time of year and a time when most retailers see an increase in their profits. Because of this, businesses can find themselves getting wrapped up in the bottom line and overlook the importance of creating positive customer experiences.

To help create those experiences, and build a loyal customer base, here are 5 things retailers can do this season to develop stronger connections with their customers.

1. Personalize the experience. Customers want to feel special. When they walked into your store, take time to make them feel like they are your favorite customer. An excellent way to personalize the customer experience is to know your customers and their personal preferences and likes. By tracking customer spending habits, you can get a better idea of what their favorite products are, what products they might be interested in, and provide them with special offers towards their favorite products. The more personalized the deals and offers, the more your customers will feel special and that you care about their personal choices.

2. Defuse a negative situation. The holidays are a stressful time for many and can bring out many tempers. Help diffuse the negative situations and customer complaints by taking time to listen to your customers. Sometimes, all and customer needs is to feel like their concerns and problems have been heard. The more you aim to solve the problem, the more your customers will see that you care about their concerns and are ready to help.

3. Take time to train your employees. With the holiday’s, most companies hire seasonal help to better assist their customers during the hectic season. Take some time to ensure they’re properly trained and informed on promotions and seasonal deals to answer customer questions. This is a stressful time for many and the more knowledgeable and efficient your employees, the better service they can provide to customers. Because this is a stressful time for everyone, it’s equally important to thank you employees for all their hard work. For many in the retail world, this is a season where employees are more likely to get snapped at by a disgruntled customer and you want to make sure they know you appreciate them and have the skill-set to patiently resolve the situation.

4. Grow from last years mistakes. In the world of retail, there are some things that are out of your control. In many cases, mistakes made are avoidable and businesses can benefit from learning from the errors of the previous year. Use this time to learn more last year’s mistakes (and successes) to see where you can improve and be proactive in serving your customers.

5. Give back to the community. People tend to be more giving during this time of year. Why not use this time to team up with your customers and employees to give back to the community through contributor match (have a few charities they can pick from where you’ll match their donations), host a angel tree or Sub-for-Santa event, or have employees and managers throw out ideas for what your store could do for the community.

The holidays are a wonderful time of year and are a time where you can earn loyal, lifetime customers. Stand out from the other retailers by providing your customers with a shopping experience where they feel valued. This is your time to shine and show your customers you are a cut above the rest in service and quality.

Contributed by Brooke Cade, a freelance writer who works with InMoment.com. When she is not writing, Brooke is committed to learning more about helping businesses and sales professionals improve their customer experience.

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