As more entrepreneurs throw their hats in the ring, the retail landscape for pool and spa suppliers continues to change. To keep up with the latest developments, you need to zero in on what makes your customer base tick. Otherwise, your efforts could fall flat as your competitors do a better job of drawing clients into their stores and helping them complete the buyer's journey.
Thankfully, all is not lost. You just need this guide to learn all the best ways to create a modern customer experience in your pool and spa store. Then, get started on your journey toward true success in the new retail landscape.
Elevate Your Store Design
First impressions are everything, and that goes double for your pool and spa store. Your store layout needs to make customers feel welcome to come in and look around to land a customer for life.
With their initial visual sweep of the layout, your customers should immediately understand where everything is, giving them a good idea of where to head next. After that, the displays should let them leapfrog between the possibilities while browsing all the other goods in between.
To elevate the experience even more, add a pop of accent lighting around the different pool or spa models. The extra lighting helps subtly highlight your most popular items before your salespeople even come over for a chat. Finally, create a warm, inviting atmosphere with chill instrumental music and incredible scents like vanilla, lemon, and pine.
Fine-Tune the Retail Experience
An excellent sales approach always reminds customers about the benefits they'll enjoy upon making their purchase. So, be sure that your pool and spa store speaks to all the fun everyone will have with your products. Set up displays that encourage customers to put on sunglasses, chill in lounge chairs, and imagine themselves poolside. If you have a spa-centric retail location, think of relaxation instead of pool parties.
Beyond that, have your salespeople offer a warm welcome, and then hang back for a moment as the layout leads customers to their products of choice. Only once your customers start to look like they may need a little help should the sales team gently swoop in and offer their assistance. Otherwise, you risk overwhelming customers and interrupting their dreams of fun in the sun, sending them scurrying back out the door.
Make Convenience a Top Priority
Modern customers are busier than ever, which is why they can benefit from a pool and spa at home. For that reason, they're looking for a pool and spa retailer that can serve as their partner in fun and relaxation. To do that, you have to make their convenience a top priority.
To start, you'll want to set up a dedicated website that allows customers to browse your products on the go and even put in an order online. Don't just stop there, however. Also, go all out in offering pickup or even delivery options.
Although many customers know what they want when they want it, that's not always the case. So, make sure that your sales team is ready to lend a hand from afar by making five-minute responses a part of your processes. You'll need to have your team watching for digital correspondence at all times to do that effectively. So, set up those social media accounts and keep email on constant refresh.
Amplify Your Local SEO Approach
When shopping for pool and spa products, most customers look for a brick-and-mortar store near their homes or workplaces. On top of that, they usually perform their search on the go by typing "pool and spa store near me" right into Google.
Even if you have a website, your store might not come up right away if you don't optimize your business for local searches by:
- Adding your company phone number, address, and driving directions to your site
- Talking about nearby neighborhoods and landmarks in your website content
- Updating your complete company profile in the Google My Business tool
- Optimizing your website for mobile users, which means three-second load times
- Asking customers to leave positive reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook
By employing all these tactics, your company will have a better chance at popping up in the search results whenever customers look for "pool and spa stores near me."
Now that you know just what to do—hop right in and get started on your journey toward retail success. With each change you make, you'll get ever closer to meeting your customers' needs and outperforming your competitors. Through it all, watch for more changes coming your way and respond in kind to stay ahead of the game.
