In Coles today and had the most amazing customer service experience. This is the second time it's happened (different person). Really impressed me. I turned up for a 'transaction' and what I got was an experience (and now I'm talking about it). Cool.
Got me thinking (again) about how it is the human encounters that turn the retail experience from bland to brand. Those little details that make the difference between talkability and forgetability.
When Apple hire and train their people, they don't just look for "floor staff" they hire "brand ambassadors." They employ people who are fans of Apple - obsessed, tech-literate Apple-junkies who live and breathe every nuance and brand detail Apple has to offer.
What if we could do the same with a brand like a supermarket. Imagine if Apple or Virgin opened a supermarket - how different would it be from our usual experiences?
Here are my top 5 ideas for transforming the ordinary retail experience into something amazing:
1. Be a brand that stands for something beyond the expected. Be brave -dream big.
2. Create personal brand-value for each & every one of your team members.
3. Empower your brand ambassadors (staff) to surprise & delight customers in unexpected ways.
4. Transforming "customers" to a "fans" means consistent delivery of your brand promise every time. Create systems and processes that allow this (rather than inhibit it).
5. Make the experience personal. Build loyalty at every opportunity.
