Last week, Lego opened their first Australian store in Sydney. Renowned across the world for having incredibly innovative in-store designs and activations, Lego has pulled all the stops to make its newest store as interactive as possible.
The Bondi Junction store includes multiple features aimed at enabling creativity. Activations include a room with play tables called The Brick Room where customers can build their own creations, the iconic Pick-A-Brick wall, where customers can get the exact bricks they need and Build-Your-Own Minifigure stations. Hands-on fun encourages potential customers to interact with the product and decide what they like before they make a purchase.
Each Lego store features bespoke creations, and large-scale figurines, most of which are for sale. A mural showing the city the store is located in is also displayed in every store. The Sydney store features a 62,300-brick mural of the iconic Sydney Harbour, which took 282 hours to create.
Lego stores are a fantastic example of the ultimate in store experience. Customers are able to interact with the product and staff while they shop which leads to higher in store sales as well as boosting online purchases.
So as well as having an interactive store for customers to enjoy, what else makes for a great in store experience?
There are a few simple things your staff can do in store to help create a positive experience for shoppers and in turn, boost sales and revenue.
- Educate your staff so they understand both your product and your demographic. This will help staff to be better able to help customers. If a customer feels that a sales person is being genuine and honest and not simply making a sale, they are 60% more likely to make a purchase.
- Another way to build trust between a salesperson and a customer is to create titles for staff, referring to them as associates or affiliates.
- Try and cater to every type of shopper. Some people just want to come in, make their purchase and leave. Others want to browse, take their time, ask questions and learn about a product before investing in a brand. Know how to spot the difference between a shopper in a hurry and a shopper who needs assistance.
- Ensure that both your online and physical stores are cohesive. In 2019 all physical stores should be accompanied by an online store and social media channels that link together.
- This cohesion can be achieved by implementing things like Afterpay and click-and-collect as well as in store returns and exchanges for online purchases. Having tablets available to customers with your online store available in-store is also a clever way to enhance your customer experience. Customers can browse your online store while in store which can be useful especially if you have multiple stores or warehouses and don’t carry all your stock in one place.
- Create a seamless check out experience. The last memory customers have of their in store experience is checking out so it’s important that it’s a positive one. Implementing extra POS systems or iPads to speed up the time it takes to get through the queue is an easy way to create a positive check out experience. In some situations an iPad can be mobile to be taken around the store to help shoppers check out quickly without having to line up.
- Create a sense of community. Give customers a place they can go to meet like minded people. Offer in store workshops or open days to bring the customer closer to the brand through education and interactive browsing. An investment of time will often lead to a purchase.
Creating a positive in store experience will most often lead customers to trust and invest in a brand. Making an in store purchase will often lead to customers to return either in store online and make further purchases. This in turn boosts spend and profits for businesses, meaning that both the customer and the business owner are happy.
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