Whatever business you’re in, it’s important to understand that high-end customers have different expectations on how they get treated and helping them feel welcome can play a key role in setting the right first impression. To that end, here are a few tips you can follow that can ensure you’re offering the warm welcome that you want to.

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Your employees are key

Any front-facing staff should be trained in how to address and handle customers when they come in. There are no excuses for bad customer experiences if you’re not training our team in how to work with them. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to keep your employees happy if you want your visiting customers to be happy. The trick of treating retail employees with subsistence pay and no benefits then expecting them to deliver world-class customer service simply does not work. Invest in your team to invest in your customers.

Create a real welcome and waiting area

A lot of retail stores are designed to funnel customers as quickly to the point of conversion as possible. However, with luxury and lifestyle products, that’s not the case. You want them to linger and enjoy their time in the store as best as possible. The more time the spend engaging with your products, the more likely they are to buy. Plus, feeling rushed isn’t going to make them feel like they’re being catered to. A real waiting area with comfortable seats, a desk, and maybe some reading materials can engage them in the pace that you want to.

A few beverages always go down well

This is a trend that has been becoming particularly relevant in high-end lifestyle stores, such as places that sell jewellery and other luxury goods. A coffee and tea station where your customers can enjoy a free beverage can do a lot of wonders in making them feel like their needs are being better catered for. You might want to include some logo water, just to make sure that if they’re simply thirsty, you’re not forcing them to drink anything more than what they might need. It’s an extra bit of indulgence that can make their experience much warmer.

Personalise their shopping experience

Your shoppers are all unique individuals with their own wants and goals when they come into the store. Or at the very least, you can win them over much more easily if you treat them that way. Consider using personal shoppers in your store experience if you don’t already, and make sure that they practice active listening so that they can get a much better idea of your customers’ wants and pain points. That way, they can much more reliably drive them towards purchases that satisfy their needs and are more likely to turn into conversions.

You need to roll out the red carpet, figuratively speaking, at least, to make sure that you can keep hold of those high-end customers. Hopefully, the tips above give you a few ideas on how to incorporate a little extra service in your store.