It’s important to remember that social media can make or break a retail business.

I went online recently to research a store before I visited. The first thing that came up were negative reviews from customers. Some of the feedback was, ‘I have never experienced such rudeness from a staff member of a legitimate company in my life….”, “went to pay and the greasy haired staff member shoved the eftpos machine in my face while trying to upsell me on their half priced stock….”, and on and on it went.

Wow I thought, this retailer won’t last long, they should be in damage control. Social media can break you if you don’t pay attention and rectify or react immediately. You can’t fire customers, they quit. To communicate their anger and disappointment with their experience they vent on social media.

If you are a bricks and mortar store, it’s critical to understand that the staff are the heart of the business. Their attitude and professionalism towards customers can impact on the growth and success of a store or brand.

With a range of options open to customers today, the store visit has to make its mark and offer a truly seamless experience. Customers are looking for a great service experience, knowledgeable staff and products of value to them. When you get this right customer become the best advocates for your business.

Service differentiation is one of the key advantages for bricks and mortar, if this is not present then eCommerce is an easy choice for consumers, You can have the best strategy in the world to grow your business, but if you don’t focus on the customer and develop the right culture with your sales team, then the consumer will let everyone know.