When bored or deprived of social interaction, many turn to stores for engaging experiences and visual stimulation, it’s even considered a type of therapy. Give your visitors what they’re after and create a community in your store that gets customers in the door and keeps them coming back as loyal purchasers.

Physical spaces bring people together in ways that an online environment can’t. As much as they may try, online stores can’t offer customers the personalised experiences retail stores do. Even though there is continued debate over the convenience of online shopping overtaking the experience of in-store visits, brands can use their physicality as a significant strength, offering an advantage over their online-only competitors.

“While Retailers Build Communities, Communities Are Building Retail.” – Catherine Erdly‍

‍If you are looking to compete on the strength of your brand and the superiority of your products, community is key. Your community is where authentic brand ambassadors are developed and they are essential to spreading the positive word about your store and what you offer. Implementing a community initiative can foster engagement between consumers and your brand.

Community engagement motivates consumers to shop in-store and offers positive outcomes to retailers by directly building consumer trust and commitment to a brand and minimising the importance of price along with the perceived value of products and services sold.

Results from a survey on 1,700 consumers showed that as a retailer’s community engagement increased, the impact of their price on the purchase decision was decreased. This means that consumers are more likely to spend more with a brand that they feel a connection with rather than paying less with a competitor that may offer the same product or service at a lower price. Now is the best time for retailers to focus on building a strong relationship with customers, and ultimately create value in these relationships to provide high returns on investment and get back on track to making a profit in their physical stores.

‍
How can you create community?

‍
To form a community in your space, you must first decide how you will use your shop to engage customers and build a social environment. This might mean creating a space where customers can experience and use your products, developing an atmosphere where people engage with your brand in a new way, that they can’t find elsewhere.

In the past, many stores have utilised these engagement experiences short and long term. An interactive experience could be in store demonstrations/trials, campaigns focusing on a specific product range, pop-ups within your space, omnichannel integration, personalised products or allowing customers to create their own products/ package.

The creation of an effective in-store experience can be found in Storepro’s fit out with Winning Appliances that forms a connective shopping experience. Allowing the customers to immerse themselves in the way the appliances work through a visual demonstration while being able to touch and engage with displays offers visitors a different way to connect with the brand. Seeing the products in action reiterates their value and allows the customers to imagine them in their own home.

To offer a well-rounded experience similar to Winning Appliances, that engages visitors at all touchpoints and makes their time with you memorable, form a cohesive vision with your displays and merchandising. Incorporating branding with a design that communicates your messaging effectively can develop an emotional response in your store that keeps customers coming back.

If you’re on the lookout for innovative elements to add to your retail space, get in touch with the team at Storepro. Our business is built on a strong understanding of the retail industry and what makes customers tick, allowing us to implement fit outs that speak to their needs and wants.