Create that ‘I like this place’ feeling

Have you stopped to ponder how people form an affinity for your gift shop? I am referring to that wow feeling that leaves them wanting to come back.

People are going to experience your shop through their five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.

Sight

What do customers see as they walk into your gift shop? As a child, I loved to open a pack of Life Savers hard candy. I would stare at the vivid rainbow colors of the different flavors. The image of the candy was so strong I still remember it today.

Do your displays have that kind of impact on your customers? Which ones could create that kind of impression?

Sound

What do your customers hear when they walk into your store? Customers appreciate pleasant music, a friendly greeting and the sound of lively conversations throughout the store.

“It has been said that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but “an experience is worth a thousand pictures.””

Smell

What type of fragrances do they smell? There are certain smells that can stimulate pleasant past memories for our customers and create new ones that they associate with your store. Keep the scents that are pleasing to the nose.

Taste

Many gift shops will have free samples of some of the candies or treats they sell. This encourages your visitors to try something new.

Touch

Do your displays invite your gift shop visitors to touch and feel the merchandise? How do your items for sale feel? It has been said that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but “an experience is worth a thousand pictures.”

Why not go through your gift shop with your team and experience it with your five senses, compare notes, and decide what needs to be improved and what things need to change to help create an “I Like This Place” feeling?

Tom Borg is a retail consultant, speaker and author of “True Small Business Brilliance.” Contact him at:
734-404-5909, tom@tomborg.com,www.tomborgconsulting.com