Trends in retail selling for 2018

Retail sale is one segment that keeps developing hand in hand with new technologies and changing in terms of customer expectations. Even today we can detect trends that will dominate 2018 and you should keep these in mind when planning your strategies and business plans for the upcoming year.

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Originality and shopping experience

According to CustomerThink.com, customers expect a certain level of originality from the stores they visit. Being stylish is no longer a virtue only for millennials, but for almost all clients. Without an original and creative attitude, shops can fall behind their competitors.

Providing experience during shopping is on the rise too, through various events, presentations and charity projects that shops co-organise and by means of which they also improve customer turnout.

Price gives way to quality and reliability

While in past years it was the price that dominated the clients' decision-making process with regard to a purchase and supplier, the growing economy and improved purchasing power of the current clientele has led to an increasing number of customers focusing primarily on the quality of products and reliability of the given shop. This does not mean that price has ceased to be important but it is no longer the number one decisive factor.

Personalised delivery of goods

Delivery and its form and time frame are aspects that play a crucial role in the decision making process of customers. And this trend will increase in 2018 even more.

Clients are getting used to personalised delivery of the purchased products – at times they want and at a place of their choice. Tracking of the delivery and seamless communication with the shipping company should be automatic these days.

Return policy

The current fast age requires retailers to be flexible, but it also makes customers appreciate if they can reverse their frequently impulsive decisions.

Retailers without a helpful return policy run the risk that customers will view the purchase of their product as basically non-reversible, which might eventually result in their not buying the product or choosing a different supplier with a better return policy.

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Article source CustomerThink - US website focused on customer care
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