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How do you get shoppers to return to your store? Inspire them

Kids’ activities, helpful staff, demos and clear signage – just some of the ways retailers can make themselves irresistible.

WHILE EVERYONE IS excited about e-commerce, shoppers still appreciate a good instore experience, it seems.

A study examining behaviours and perceptions of over 1,000 Irish shoppers has shown that their feelings about grocery shopping are particularly influenced by the environment you give them when they step over the threshold.

While large supermarket chains often have extensive research behind their decisions for their template stores, smaller and independent retailers do not always have that information at their fingertips.

The report – the second in three from the Shopper Nation 2014 series by shopping marketing specialists Visualise - is called In-Store Experience.

  • Read the whole report here>

The demographic surveyed had a wide geographical, age, family structure and gender range:

profile Shopper Nation 2014 Shopper Nation 2014

Some of the findings show where smaller retailers might be able to capitalise on the gap left by the larger supermarkets:

  • Only 27% of shoppers found their main supermarket to be fun and exciting.
  • Over two-thirds of shoppers would like for their grocery shopping to be more fun and welcoming.
  • Shoppers had some suggestions for improving their instore experience: 

- activities for kids

- clear signs

- better music

- friendlier staff and better customer service

- competitions

- improve decor and add instore demos/sampling tables

  • Recipe and meal ideas instore would encourage them to buy more to make their meals. Retailers could do this by displaying all ingredients for one recipe together in a group, and leaving recipe leaflets to hand.

The conclusion Shopper Nation comes to is that people are time-poor and appreciate help from retail outlets to address the reason why they are shopping with them. As the report says:

They are on the lookout for easy solutions to shopping needs. These needs may consist of trying to prepare daily dinners for the family, organise a dinner party for friends, and create simple lunch ideas or perhaps something as simple as snacks for a night in…It is not as simple as just grouping together what appear to be complementary products and expecting shoppers to buy them both. Shopper solutions must inspire shoppers and deliver real value to them.

How do you serve shopper needs? Have you trialled any new methods to keep customers coming back for a unique experience in your shop? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below…

SALE! Why does this one word cause all logic to go out the window?>

Are Ireland’s independent retailers a dying breed?>

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    Mute Andy Cahalan
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    Aug 8th 2016, 4:56 PM

    Cats should have the same legal protection as dogs regarding cruelty. I’ve had two poisoned by pigeon keepers in the past two years and caught two young girls taking and trying to throw my old blind cat in to traffic recently. I hope the folks who do this get rat and mouse infestations!

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    Mute Andy Cahalan
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    Aug 8th 2016, 4:57 PM

    I do get this is cats in the wild but serious cruelty is going on all the time!

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    Mute Mark Ryan
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    Aug 8th 2016, 6:31 PM

    Are your cats going into a pigeon coups? Or other people’s yards? You should be stopping them

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    Mute Chlorines72
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    Aug 8th 2016, 7:07 PM

    You can’t stop instinct.

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    Mute Irishoversea
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    Aug 8th 2016, 7:16 PM

    Well if you read her comment fully you would know it can be stopped..

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    Mute Chlorines72
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    Aug 8th 2016, 7:17 PM

    Irishoversea

    I was responding to Mark Ryan .

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    Mute Kinsaleable
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    Aug 9th 2016, 9:55 AM

    They shouldn’t be left out then. The least people should do is put a bell on their collar. They are basically an invasive species when wandering around on their own killing small wild animals.

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    Mute Daisy Chainsaw
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    Aug 8th 2016, 5:12 PM

    Great work by the ISPCA. Shame on the owners who caused this.

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    Mute Rach Browne
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    Aug 8th 2016, 5:25 PM

    Heartbreaking, poor little things.

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    Mute Wurps
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    Aug 8th 2016, 7:45 PM

    Very hard to st this kind of thing happening when irresponsible owners let unnuetered uncollared pets roam uncontrolled.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Aug 8th 2016, 9:21 PM

    Cats are social animals, so were they all feral???

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    Mute noel smullen
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    Aug 8th 2016, 9:39 PM

    Sad news on international cats day! Or any other day.

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    Mute Ciarán FitzGerald
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    Aug 9th 2016, 9:24 AM

    We are behind in this country in terms of animal cruelty. Every few days another story of savagry but never any convictions. Its also cruel to let cats roam wild and to think that you’re “looking after them” by throwing out a tin of food every few days. Sadly too many people do this. The biggest killer of wildlife in Ireland is the domestic cat turned feral. Poisoning is not the answer but I would defend pigeon keepers dealing with problem cats. I have a bird pen and cats do the most damage – but its nearly always a neglected feral one infested with mange and fleas.
    People should know where there cats are – I have cousins who had their cat shot by a farmer for attacking chickens, they hadnt a clue where the cat had been going. Yes cats are social animals but you are responsible for your pet also – like everyone blames the owners when dogs attack sheep and rightly so. Double standard by many cat owners.

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    Mute Leo Lowe
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    Aug 8th 2016, 6:43 PM

    This would never be allowed to happen in Kilkenny.

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    Mute conair
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    Aug 8th 2016, 10:59 PM

    I love good pussy

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