The role of the furniture sales associate is changing. To keep shoppers coming to brick and mortar stores, the associate must make contact with those who visit the store’s website, then tune in to each shopper’s needs and the styles that appeal to them.
Offering specialized services to assist in the viewing of all selections, and shopping with them as a friend rather than directly attempting to create a sale, will keep customers coming back to your store.
Working Website Leads
Most shoppers consult websites when considering furniture purchases. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to visit a brick and mortar furniture store. It usually is just the first step in their purchase journey. They typically complete their purchases in store after getting to test the products.
But, in order to bring them in to your store as opposed to your competitors, your furniture sales associates must engage e-shoppers in a meaningful way. Many are slow to do so.
This offers an advantage to those retailers who are quick to design savvy sites, create contacts from those who visit their website, invite them to the store, offer friendly, efficient service, and provide digital tools that make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for.
Your store’s website should be efficient and up to date. It should be designed and maintained to pick up local searches focused on furniture and should have interactive features. A website can be a powerful tool when you leverage the data you collect on each shopper to give them better researching experiences.
The associate’s job is then to follow up with those who visit the website. They must use the data collected to find out what each shopper is looking for, offer to assist them, invite them to the store for a personalized consultation.
The process can easily be automated when using advanced analytics, but either way, an associate must be involved.
Make Viewing and Selecting Appropriate Styles Fast and Effortless
To be a top sales associate, it’s not necessary to sell the most expensive furniture pieces. Satisfying a number of customers in a timely manner so they will return for future purchases is what leads to profit and success.
The associate must hone skills that help to quickly assess each customer’s needs and preferences and be completely familiar with tools for scanning all available furniture and accessories in order to promptly show them appropriate selections.
Using tools to suggest groupings of furniture, accessories, and home decor items saves the customer the worry of extensive searching to find a combination that coordinates well.
High pressure advertising and pushy presentation methods are no longer appropriate.
Today’s furniture shoppers expect a friendly, low-key, personalized approach. The associate’s role is to facilitate customer loyalty by assisting them in finding furniture and accessories they love without taking up too much of their limited amount of leisure time.
