Clienteling for  Small  Business

Agenda§ Paths  to  Purchase§ Enterprise  Inventory§ Save  the  “Sale”

Clienteling for  Small  Business

With  increased  competition  across  multiple  channels,  small  to  mid-­‐sized  retailers  now  more  than  ever  must  optimize  every  sale.  Leveraging  the  right POS system  can  help  retailers  create  distinct  customer  profiles  with  unique  buyer  preferences  to  increase  sales  and  enable  better  customer  service.

Multiple  Paths  to  Purchase

CustomerEngagement

Multiple  System  of  Records

Item Inventory Customer &Order

Payment

Brick  &  Mortal  Point  of  Sale Physical Physical Physical Physical

Online  (desktop  and  mobile)

e-­‐Commerce  Platform Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual

Market  PlaceMarket  Place  Platform Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual

Customer  Call  Center

OMS Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual

Path  to  Purchase  

Clienteling for  Small  Business

SOURCE: Retail Prophet – Doug Stephens

“The purpose of retail will no longer be to solely convert every customer into a buyer of goods but rather transform them into disciples of the brand itself.

To begin a relationship – a dialogue that may play out in any number of buying channels; online, in-store, mobile or elsewhere.

It doesn’t matter where purchases take place. What matters is that the consumer falls in LOVE with the brand and shares that love with others. The store maintains the potential to be that emotional center of gravity for the brand.”

Clienteling for  Small  Business

• According  to  KISSMetrics,  71%  of  consumers  have  stopped  buying  from  a  company  because  of  poor  customer  service.  Whether  or  not  you  tell  your  customers  that  you  care  about  their  experience  with  your  brand,  their  perception  is  reality  when  it  comes  to  your  bottom  line.•While  it’s  common  knowledge  that  customer  retention  is  much  cheaper  than  finding  new  customers,  many  (perhaps  most)  companies  focus  on  customer  acquisition,  even  though  it’s  around  7  times  more  expensive.

Clienteling for  Small  BusinessStep  1:  Define  your  Strategy  

• As  a  retailer,  you  must  design  a  program  that  is  consistent  with  your  brand,  that  meets  growth  objectives  and  can  be  implemented

• What  is  the  personalized  experience  you  want  your  brand  to  deliver?• Who  is  eligible  for  the  program?  (For  example:  Loyalty  Program)• What  is  the  incentive  for  shoppers  to  sign  up?• How  will  shoppers  be  recognized?• How  do  we  define  success?• The  strategy  will  guide  all  subsequent  decisions  and  requirements,  particularly  

decisions  about  data  and  technology.

How  do  you  want  your  customer  to  engage  with  you  and  how  do  you  want  to  leave  an  imprint  on  them

Clienteling for  Small  Business

Step  2:  Assemble  the  DataRetailers  have  to  collect,  assemble,  transform  and  deliver  customer  data  from  all  available  touch  points,  including  the  web,  mobile  apps,  catalogs  and  store  visits.  

• Personally  identifiable  information  (or  PII)• Prior  purchase  history  (all  channels)• Customer  Preferences  and  Product  Recommendations• Customer  service  contacts…  who  has  touched  the  customer• Retailers  have  invested  heavily  in  CRM  solutions  in  the  past  10-­‐15  years.  Those  

systems  typically  include  most  of  the  data  needed  to  launch  a  clientelingprogram.

Enterprise  Inventory  Visibility

• The  days  of  writing  notes  on  lined  paper  in  little  notebooks  are  over.  As  a  quick  internet  search  will  demonstrate,  the  market  is  crowded  with  software  vendors  offering  clientelingsolutions.

• The  market  is  converging  on  mobile  applications  with  a  heavy  emphasis  on  smart  phones  and  iPads.

• The  primary  function  of  these  applications  is  to  empower  sales  associates  with  customer  information.

• In  addition,  the  applications  may  offer  integrations  with  social  media,  CRM  solutions  and  mobile  POS  software.  

• You  need  to  carefully  evaluate  functionality,  scalability  and  cost  before  selecting  a  solution.

Step  3:  Implement  Clienteling Software

Clienteling for  Small  BusinessStep  4:  Train,  Measure  and  Incentivize  Sales  Associates

• Sales  associates  are  the  figurative  face  of  your  brand.  They  are  interacting  with  your  best  customers,  constantly  making  impressions,  creating  expectations  and  delivering  on  commitments.  

• It’s  important  to  ensure  that  any  cleintelingprogram  is  implemented  as  designed  every  time  by  every  associate.  The  only  way  to  maintain  quality  and  consistency  is  through  ongoing  training.  

• And,  nothing  makes  training  stick  like  ongoing  measurement  and  incentives  for  compliance/performance.  (For  example  capturing  email).  

• Sales  associates  have  to  own  the  program.  • Management  must  give  them  the  training  and  incentives  to  make  that  a  reality.

Clienteling for  Small  Buisness

Step  5:  Test,  Test,  Test….• Successful  programs  evolve  over  time.  In  order  to  get  the  most  out  of  clientelingsolutions,  retailers  must  establish  ongoing  test  and  learn  programs.  • This  starts  with  defining,  collecting  and  publishing  Key  Performance  Indicators  (KPIs)  for  the  program.  • The  next  step  involves  implementing  a  testing  roadmap  to  understand  the  impact  of  changing  major  program  levers.  Important  areas  for  testing  include  offers  (product  recommendations,  discounts,  specials,  etc.);  sales  scripting  and  engagement  protocols;  and  contract  strategy  (content,  frequency  and  channel  of  communication  about  the  program).  • Correctly  designed  tests  with  control  groups  and  adequate  samples  sizes  are  a  must.

Integrated  POS  with  Clienteling

• What  has  she  bought  from  me  and  when• What  channels  has  she  bought  from  me• What  are  her  preferences• What  is  her  average  spend  per  TX• How  many  items  does  she  buy  per  TX• What  is  her  return  rate• Does  she  have  anything  in  her  wish  list• What  are  her  loyalty  points  • Who  has  helped  her  in  the  past