November/December 2021 - 42

POHMER ON ...
had well-signed carts at the end of the runs requesting that
customers place the unwanted items there, rather than just
putting the items randomly back onto the displays.
And, knowing that many customers would want to taste
the sodas they just purchased, immediately outside the
exit door was a 4 by 8-foot wall display with at least 50
ornate bottle openers for the customers to use, as many
of the ' " craft " sodas weren't pop tops or screw offs. These
are little things, yes, but they added to the experience
and demonstrated the reality that the store anticipated
customer needs.
Lessons to Take Home
I think it's safe to say that I was blown away, the
proverbial " kid in a candy store, " on this visit, and I was
definitely wowed. But here are some takeaways that you
might want to consider.
1. It's critical to get the fundamentals right and meet your
brand promise before focusing on delivering the " wow "
and inspirational factors. Many of the " wow " things are
really basics that every retailer should be getting right,
but many retailers are falling short, so those who execute
well get extra customer credit for their accomplishments.
2. From a customer's perspective, it's better for their
experience to be consistently good - not sometimes
excellent and sometimes poor. Without consistent
execution, you'll never be able to deliver on the
customer's expectations of you.
3. Whatever your brand proposition is, the essence of
that value proposition and delivering on it are the No. 1
thing that defines greatness and " wow " for consumers.
Your brand sets the customer expectations and the
benchmark the customer measures their experience
with you by.
4. " Wow " = surprise and delight. To many customers, this
simply means a hassle-free shopping experience - the
absence of any friction.
5. A key contributor to " wow " is human interaction with
an engaged, well-trained, knowledgeable, available and
professional staff. This includes your entire staff - from
sales associates to cashiers to your customer service and
back-office team - anyone the customer can interact
with during their entire journey with you.
Other retailers have set the bar low for customer
perception of what a great experience is, providing almost
unlimited opportunity for you to show them what you can
deliver. Setting achievable brand expectations and not only
meeting but exceeding them will delight and surprise your
customers. That sets the foundation to create the " wow "
experience to truly set you apart from your competition...
Stan Pohmer is president of Pohmer Consulting Group in
Minnetonka, Minnesota. He can be reached at spohmer@
pohmer-consulting.com or 612.605.8799.
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November/December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2021
