Today’s convenience stores in cities are so densely packed that they can be described as five steps, one post, ten steps and one post. They are the most competitive small retail format. How can we create better customer satisfaction? How can you develop customer loyalty? How to get those surrounding customers to come back frequently? I think this is a real problem faced by all shop owners.

The retail industry always focuses on the four words of "more, faster, better, and cheaper" to establish its own advantages. Even one of these four words is enough to make you stand out in the industry. Let us first talk about the word "many". For individual convenience stores, it is impossible to have multiple categories and varieties of goods. The first is the limited operating area; the second is the limited amount of capital; and the third is the limited loss. Starting; So where should the "more" of convenience stores be reflected? My experience is to provide "multiple services" such as: collection and delivery of express delivery, self-service printing and copying, payment of water, electricity and gas phone bills, bank credit card activity promotion, community group buying services, etc. The more multiple services are provided, the stronger the customer stickiness. The greater the customer flow, these "trivial matters" are the value of the convenience store and an effective way to increase the store's income as the customer flow increases.

? Let’s talk about this “fast”, which refers to two aspects, one is efficiency, and the other is effectiveness. The so-called efficiency refers to the inventory turnover rate and cash turnover rate. The higher the inventory turnover rate, the higher the capital utilization rate. Don’t listen to the “tricks” of suppliers to promote goods and say that certain product promotion policies are one-time. If you buy six boxes, you will get half a box, if you buy ten boxes, you will get one box. On average, this is equivalent to a 10% discount on the purchase price, and what you save is what you make... Such supply policies emerge in endlessly, and many stores cannot withstand the temptation and are greedy. In this case, you will suffer a big loss. The supplier will occupy your funds, occupy your limited operating area, and revitalize their funds and inventory. So how to compete with suppliers (dealers), we will find time to write a separate article so that you can understand clearly.

Efficiency will definitely bring benefits, but the benefits also come from "quick adjustment of the product structure". As the solar terms change throughout the year, people's physiological needs and life needs are different. For example: Spring is the weight loss season, and low-calorie, low-fat, low-calorie and sugar-free foods are the peak sales season. At this time, the product structure needs to be quickly adjusted to meet demand; summer is the hydration season, when beverages, cold drinks, and beer are the most popular. In this season If you seize the opportunity well, you will reap the most generous profit returns; the Autumn Festival is the fattening season, and the sales of snacks and dairy products surge during this season. At this time, enriching this category will be very popular among customers; winter is the candy season and During the gift season (Spring Festival), chocolate candies and various gift boxes take up a lot of money and need to be prepared in advance.

Without a keen sense of the market and diligent and pragmatic operational services, if you just want to "keep your job" unchanged, you will not be able to hold on. Many customers who often patronize my convenience store say that this small store has quite a variety of products, and you can always find whatever you want to buy. How would the customers know how much thought and effort I put into this?

The word "good" should be reflected in the "three good", namely "good service, good products and good quality". 1. Good service is not only polite hospitality and patient service, but also reflected in humanistic care and professional knowledge. The so-called "humanistic care" refers to care for people's living conditions, affirmation of human dignity and living conditions consistent with human nature. There is no difference between those who are budget-conscious and those who spend a lot. It is just their consumption philosophy or economic situation that dictates it. Customers who only buy low-end products and those who only choose high-end products have different needs. We really need to treat customers without distinction.

I once encountered such a thing. An old man came to my store with an old-fashioned razor and wanted to buy a rhinoceros blade. I said I’m really sorry for this. Blades are rarely sold nowadays, and we really don’t have any in our store. Nowadays, Gillette is generally used, and the matching razors are also Gillette blades. Do you think you need to change your razor? It will also be convenient to buy blades in the future. The uncle said that he is used to using this knife holder, and now the knife holder is quite good, but the blade is no longer working. He searched many places but could not buy a replacement blade.

Also, the reason why brand products are famous is not just because they can only advertise. Behind this, they also need strong channel service capabilities and stable supply capabilities. Their market operation capabilities are not comparable to those of third- and fourth-tier product manufacturers. Yes, you might say that new products and third- and fourth-tier products have no chance? This is not something you should worry about. You are a retailer and all your business activities need to be centered around customer satisfaction.

Finally, let’s talk about good quality, which is mainly reflected in the ability to manage goods. There are six categories: normal temperature products, low temperature products, frozen products, moisture-proof products, expired products and expired products. Normal-temperature products that sell quickly need to have appropriate inventory reserves, while those that sell slowly need to pay attention to regular cleaning and hygiene of the outer packaging; most dairy products and lactobacillus products with short shelf life and some sausage foods are low-temperature products and need to be refrigerated; twists, twists, and Fried foods and nut foods such as cat ears need to be stored properly and protected from moisture (many products have a good shelf life, but the taste will change if stored improperly). Products that are about to expire must be contacted with the supplier in time for exchange, return or sale at a discount. Expired products must be removed from the shelves in a timely manner. There is no room for negligence in this regard. Being responsible for product quality is responsible for customers (selling expired food is an illegal business behavior). Only by doing this can you ensure that the quality of the products delivered to your customers is guaranteed.

Finally, let’s talk about the word "saving". We must strive to achieve "three provinces", namely saving time, saving effort, and saving worry. The key to saving time is to achieve a reasonable product layout and meet customers' shopping needs. Habits such as bread, cakes, milk and ham are instant convenience foods that are randomly purchased by people who are in a hurry. If they are placed in the middle or end of the store, it will not be convenient for customers to buy quickly. They can only be placed in the store. Front-end shelves are convenient for customers. If casual drinks such as RIO cocktails, red wine, and Japanese sake are placed on the front-end shelves of the store, customers will definitely be affected by the heavy traffic at the front-end. If they are placed in the store, End shelves have little impact on passenger flow, but are more conducive for customers to carefully observe and understand products, facilitate communication and discussion among customers, or store recommendations for purchase. It would be better if the store has shopping guide signs for each regional category. In short, the more time is saved The easier it is to let customers find the products they want to purchase, the more conducive to sales.

As for labor saving, it mainly involves whether the outer packaging of the product is easy to carry. For example, if a six-pack of beer is placed in a small carrying bag, the customer can easily carry it. It can be lifted with two fingers. If it is scattered, most people can only hold four or five bottles with both hands. With their hands full of wine, they have no time to buy or pay attention to other products. In addition, if customers enter the store, they have no direction to choose. Instead of shopping for a certain type of product, walk around each area in a browsing manner, and be sure to hand the customer a shopping basket in time. As long as he picks up the shopping basket, there will not be too few items in the order when the customer completes the checkout. When picking up items, be sure to properly pack them into plastic bags. If the items are heavy or sharp, add two or three layers of plastic bags so that customers can feel at ease when they leave the store.

Regarding worry-free, it requires operators to care or observe human needs, such as female sanitary napkins, panty liners, etc., must be placed in a "secluded area" in the store, so that customers will not be embarrassed by other customers when purchasing. In addition, Brown sugar, plums and other foods can be placed on the shelves near this area, which are suitable for consumption during the menstrual period. Snack foods such as melon seeds and crispy rice are suitable to be displayed together with candied dried fruits, hawthorn foods, etc. Foods that promote body fluids are beneficial to promote the digestion of nut foods. Related sales. Foods such as puffed potato chips, French fries, and rice crackers are suitable for display with milk tea drinks, which is popular with people who like high-calorie foods. Human nature has changed, and related products can only be displayed in a layout that adapts to human needs. This will help customers worry-free when purchasing. The more the product layout is in line with human needs, it will make sales redundant, and customers will naturally come to you. The relational demand mode has been activated.

At this point, I feel a lot more relaxed, as if I have finally spoken out my heartfelt words.

Maybe you think it’s necessary to set up a small convenience store and put all these rules in place to get it online? In an era of rapid commercial civilization and technological progress, as a small and micro entrepreneur who wants to establish a foothold, make a living and develop, do you think it is necessary? You have done what others have not done. This is called competitive advantage. Others have also done it. If you insist on continuous improvement and continuous optimization, it will become a barrier to competition, which is difficult for ordinary people to overcome. There are no "big things" in the retail industry, it's just about doing the little things well. There are no shortcuts.