Could Bad Service Drive Young Retail Customers to the Web?
My sister and I used to go down the street to "Mike's," the corner store, to get a big brown bag of sweets, pretzel sticks and, assuming we'd saved enough allowance, Barbie doll clothes. If we spent too much time in the store debating over apple Jolly Ranchers or watermelon, Mike was sure to shoo us away. Imagine. Two sweet little girls, with ebullient faces, seen as a threat to this big belly, big voice and big ego.
Where we saw innocence, he saw fast slippery hands.
It's the classic cliché character from 1950s TV. A persnickety old shopkeeper sweeping out young thugs like they were dust balls on the end of his broom. "Ah, ya pesky kids. Outta my store."
It's a good thing times have changed…or have they?
Many retailers today view kids as donning ski masks and carrying crowbars. Turn their backs one quick second and the store becomes a shoplifting free-for-all. But today's youth have an e-shopping alternative, so if store managers keep up this hubristic attitude and make service something to pay for, not to expect, they may not have to worry about these pesky kids much longer. Instead they'll have bigger problems on their hands: net losses.
Imagine yourself as a kid, shopping with your pals—free from Mom for the first time. You go to the mall, passing through the department store that's always been known for service. But something instantly feels claustrophobic. All eyes are on you—intrusive, adult eyes. They watch your every move. Through the Calvin section, past Guess, beyond shoes, and right on through accessories, until finally you've had enough of big brother. You pick up the pace and usher yourselves out of the store and into the mall where you gasp for fresh air.
Now imagine shopping online. You go to your favorite site, where you've created your own personal web page. You enter your password and you're greeted by cool design and a message board with memos from your friends, your favorite stores, and the "What's New" current events from CNN. After sending some e-mails, you check out the cool Sketchers your friend just bought and browse for a pair for yourself. You're offered a menu of content available just a click away. Then you're asked your opinions about great design and if all that weren't enough, you're rewarded with a coupon for your contributions.
Which of these options would you prefer?
Kids today shop both methods for different reasons. The Internet is a great place to research trends and potential new purchases. But because product interaction and human interaction are still key in most purchase decisions (particularly clothes), the mall—namely specialty stores—is still where most teens prefer to shop. And when they shop brick-and-mortar, they most often select stores that make them feel comfortable and welcome to browse—without unnecessary pressure from the store's staff.
In recent on-the-street interviews conducted at the Mall of America and downtown and uptown Minneapolis, the common shopping themes we heard were:
"I go to the stores for urban kids. The ones teenagers shop and work at, not my grandma."
"I go to the stores that fit me and my personality. The ones that play cool music."
"I don't like it when nosey clerks keep coming up to you all the time."
"I shop the stores that have a lot of brands. The ones that have products and labels no one else does."
Truth is, personal service is something stores still have over the Internet. But it could be overlooked. Is service—the oldest rule in the book—a missed opportunity for stores? Could the traditional shopping experience soon be replaced by the community experience that's made the Internet so hot?
Shopping research conducted last year by Dr. David Lewis and Darren Bridger, experimental psychologists in London, reports that poor service contributes to shopper stress. And stressed shoppers don't take the time to browse. Their sole aim is to dash in, grab what they came for and get out as fast as possible.
Lewis writes, "Stressed shoppers spend as little time as possible on the task, significantly reducing the time spent browsing and the amount of money spent on each trip."
Additionally, the lack of service threatens one's self-esteem. Bad service sends the message that customers are an irritation rather than the store's only source of income.
No surprise there. We've all been waited on by those salespeople who are doing us a favor by being there. But consider this. As designers, our websites are challenged to:
1) Initiate personal relationships with every site visitor.
2) Sustain those relationships.
3) Develop effective leads.
How many store managers challenge their employees to cater to these standards? Better yet, how many engage their shoppers for long periods of time without expecting them to purchase a thing? Ironically, the best websites base their effectiveness on loitering time. More time browsing equates to a better brand experience.
Perhaps retailers need to take a better look at what is pushing kids out of their stores and onto the net. Customer service and human interaction (which should be a store's greatest advantages over the Internet) are oftentimes its greatest weakness.
So, I guess things have changed. Kids today can swear to never return to a store with poor service—and live up to their promise. They have choices. They have the Internet, which is as engaging to them as the old corner store was to my sister and me.