A strong community connection is vital to the health of just about any retail business. It can attract new customers, get shoppers spending more and help combat pressure on price.
Community minded shoppers who feel they are doing good for their community by supporting a retail business will be more likely to support that business over a competitor.
Too often, retailers focus on the revenue side of a relationship and not the genuine community support side and this hampers them unlocking the maximum value from the relationship.
here are some tips for any retail business looking to leverage a connection for their business and for the community.
Connect with a local group or cause which you believe in. There is no value in supporting something which is not dear to your heart. Consider inviting your staff to vote with you on the right group.
Start with practical no strings involvement, from your heart.
Invite your employees to become involved with you.
Find ways to promote the local group or cause using your store and your existing customer base.
Consider carefully the different involvement options cash, time, discounted products, products for fundraising and promotional support.
Explore ways of using your store to raise funds for the community group.
Promote your connection with the group on newsletters, your window, all customer communications, receipts and in other practical ways.
Be proud of your connection.
Encourage employees to donate time to the group.
A practical and consistent connection between your retail store and a respected local, preferably very local, group can be the key point of difference which attracts shoppers to your store over a competitor. however, shoppers are smart and they will quickly smell a rate if your support is not genuine and focussed on the community. Hence, your engagement needs to be real and consistent.
Continually check in with the community organisation and nearby locals itself on the value they feel is derived from the relationship. It is vitally important that what you think you are doing they actually see and feel you do. This makes your community connection more worthwhile than a community connection paid for by a competitor which may be less genuine.
Thanks to the extensive customer loyalty facilities in good Point of Sale software many retail stores are better equipped to connect with their local community. By offering community group loyal shopper cards, retailers using POS software are able to attract more business, track this and offer a rebate to the organizations in the community promoting their business.
This community engagement for retailers is vitally important to their businesses, the community groups they promote and the members of the community groups who access the offers available.
The best approach goes way beyond the software. Consider designing and producing cards for passing out to community group members. This better connects the retail store with the community group and for local retailers such a connection is vital to business health.
Author Resource:-
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