First impressions are everything, especially in retail. You only have about six seconds to accomplish a big goal. This goal can be summed up by saying “communicate as much as possible to the customer”. What do you want your customer to know about you when they take that first glare? Make a list of the most valuable things that you can tell your customers. Prioritize them into the order that you feel is most important. Then, turn your store into a giant imagery catalyst to accomplish everything that you set out to do.
If you do it right, you can tell the customer what you want to say most in the first second. Then you can give them impressions of a few other elements of the store within the next couple of seconds. By the third or fourth second, wheels are already set in motion. The customer or potential customer gazing at your storefront has already formed about 20 different opinions about your store. Do you see why image is so important? You have to steer these opinions in the right direction to make it to the next level.
The next level has to do with internalizing. In the first initial impression phase, the customer is summing up what you sell, whether or not it’s within their style, interest, price range, social status, or needs. In the internalization phase, the customer is imagining how they would look in that dress, what their friends or co-workers would think about it, how they will feel when they wear it. Basically, they’re running the displays through a series of tests to see if they still like what they see. This phase of shopping happens when curiosity is evoked.
This is usually what is happening when someone walks through the front door of the store. I believe that you shouldn’t interrupt this process. It can put someone on edge if they’re having intimate thoughts about themselves in their own personal lives and then a sales person jumps in, greets them, and asks them a bunch of questions about what they’re looking for, how they’re doing today, etc. Small talk can get in the way of letting your imagery do its work.
If someone’s curiosity is peaked and the imagination is churning, you’ll see them start to feel and touch things. Human beings are very tactile. From birth on we want to explore the world with our hands. Give your customers a chance to rummage through the clothing racks, checking out prices and quality. If your imagery is right, you can pretty much watch the mind awaken and the customer sell themselves on your products.
About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of clothing racks including garment racks. Find a high quality clothing rack or garment rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.