Help the customer to great shopping experiences

Reading the executive summary of the report “Discovering “WOW” – A Study of Great Retail Shopping Experiences in North America”, which I came across via this Knowledge@Wharton article, I read that when a shopper enjoys a great shopping experience, he/she talks about with his his/her friends and associates. And store loyalty increases dramatically. I found out that a retailer should focus on the following 5 things to help the customer to great shopping experiences:

# 1. Engagement
Be polite. Genuinely care for the customer. Demonstrate sincere interest in helping, acknowledging and listening to the customer.

# 2. Executional Excellence
Explain and advice the customer patiently. Check stock, help the customer find products, have product knowledge and provide unexpected product quality.

# 3. Brand Experience
Make the store design exciting. Consistently provide great product quality. Make customers feel they’re special and that they always “get a deal”.

# 4. Expediting
Be sensitive to customers’ time and long check-out lines. Be proactive in helping speed up the shopping process.

# 5. Problem Recovery
Help resolve and compensate for problems. Upgrade quality and ensure complete shopper satisfaction.

When was the last time you had a great shopping experience? Which shop was it? How did the people working at the shop show that they really care about you?