Give World Class Brand Experience to Customers in Shopping Brands

 BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR

Retailing has suddenly gained momentum especially with better looking shops, larger sizes, world class ambience and polite customers. While facilities and real estate and décor are important the real winning ingredient is the Brand experience while shopping for brands in the retailing sector.

Shopping malls, departmental stores, chain stores in wide ranging product portfolios regularly attract consumers and shoppers. While these shopping locations are inviting, do consumers go back with a positive pleasant brand experience?

While the tangibles are important in shopping brand and malls, the intangibles actually win the minds and hearts of consumers and are able to gather better market shares and sales.

Let us look at the key factors which enhance brand experience in retail and shopping brands which lead to fast and sustained growth

Firstly TANGIBLES are very important to give the look and feel to the store or shopping mall which generates style and gets new customers to visit the outlet. Modern looking equipment, convenient location, security and parking facilities and neat appearing employees – all help in increasing the tangible value of the shopping mall or the retail brand.

Next, in the area of brand experience is the element of RELIABILITY. Shoppers always look forward to shop in an atmosphere of trust and faith. Akberally’s as a brand has been able to develop this trust over the years. Infact the key measure expected by shoppers is to be given what was promised, exactly as the way it was promised and the time at which it was promised. Tailors unfortunately have not been able to build up a credible reputation of ‘on time’ delivery, During a positive brand experience, under the parameter of reliability, customers expect, error free records as records with errors or inaccurate billing could lead to distrust.

The third element in Brand Experience for shopping brands is the element of RESPONSIVENESS. Shopper’s Stop has done extremely well in being highly, promptly and positively responsive to their customers, building up a very loyal customer base through its loyalty program, ‘First Citizen card’ which has led to a pleasant brand experience right from the time a customer drives his car and flashes his First citizen card to the time he or she finishes shopping, pays and leaves pleasantly. Constant interaction with the customer base has enhanced the Brand experience leading to growth and customer satisfaction.

The fourth element for providing positive brand experience for shopping brands is the element of EMPATHY to be able to be sensitive to customer needs, pay individual attention, and to be patient with a smile while answering customers queries. Behaving busy or ignoring the customer leads to alienating the customer thereby resulting in a negative brand experience.

Finally, the fifth element for positive brand experience for shopping brands is the element of ASSURANCE. The customer must feel safe in his or her transaction and should go home cosy and secure.

While people can build up large structures with large land buildings for shopping malls, it is only those who through proper brand building and providing a positive brand experience can have successful, growing, profitable shopping brands.

The author is Brand Guru Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. Tel: 022 28477700/7701 Fax: 28477699 E-mail: jkapoor@samsika.com

Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved with Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants Pvt. Ltd. No Part of this document may be modified, reproduced, stored, deleted or introduced in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (Electronic, Mechanical, Photocopying, Recording or Otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of the document.