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We gotta hand it to franchises and other retail businesses. When the going got tough, franchisees found ways to take orders, deliver products, and nurture new customers online.
They pivoted operations in a number of ways to continue revenue streams while building clientele. As stores and retail operations re-open, franchises who found new e-customers will want to turn them into long-term customers. If your retail franchise is a brick-and-mortar storefront, you will have to mix old and new methods to retain and convert online buyers.
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Use Your Data.
New online customers have given you more information than in-person customers ever did. You have phone numbers and email addresses. You even have home addresses, if you were shipping items. Also, you can see what items each person has purchased in the past. Use this intel to customize product suggestions, specials, or email promotions. Notify customers via text of same-day flash deals to entice them to stop into your location. If possible, pull up a customer’s data while they are in the store so you suggest suitable products and services specific to their past preferences.
Safety Still Matters.
Cleaning protocols have become a habit, so keep it up. E-customers who were uncomfortable with in-person shopping will be slower to walk through your doors. They want to feel safe and respected, so maintain what you are doing and market your determination to keep everyone healthy.
Make Your Storefront a Destination Experience.
A dedicated online buyer could be a tough convert to in-store purchasing. Yet, they know your name and products already, which is critical to getting them into your store. A new product launch, a seasonal menu item, or a customer appreciation event are all reasons for an online customer to visit your store.
Sell However Customers Want to Buy.
Perhaps you didn’t plan to offer take-out orders and curbside pick-up at your restaurant. But don’t hastily eliminate that option as indoor dining becomes more normal. Industry data indicates that food order and delivery services will be in more demand going forward than they were before the pandemic. And if you are like many food franchises, profit margins were higher with take-out and delivery, so it is a valuable service to provide. But no matter the industry, if your customers (especially new online buyers) want to maintain their shopping style, let them.
Keep Your Covid-era Services.
Some of your existing customers (online or otherwise) will like your new menu of products and services. For example, a gym franchise that offered outdoor spinning classes may discover that people liked being outside. The creativity evident in new services during the days of closed doors might be a boon to keeping your current customers happy. Landlords are also interested in working with retailers, which suggests you will have flexibility in negotiations for more space–it just might be outdoor space. Of course, if you offered the spinning class online, then keep that service and keep all the customers that use it.
The pandemic was the breeding ground for a digital surge that changed the way we do business.
For franchises, it will mean finding ways to engage and keep e-customers. Those efforts mean using the new technology to communicate effectively and offer products and services that are not the same as your pre-pandemic retail franchise operation.
Anne Daniells is a co-owner of Enterprising Solutions, a professional services firm specializing in corporate communication and financial improvement for businesses where she shares decades of corporate and entrepreneurial experience—including franchise ownership—in her writings on business culture. She has authored hundreds of articles for publications including AllBusiness.com, TweakYourBiz.com, and MSN.com. Reach out via her website for more on where corporate culture, communication, and human architecture collide.