Few things challenge the future of retailing like convenience and many think it is a missing ingredient at QVM.
Market researcher,
Nielson, had this to say about convenience – “Consumers lead busy lives and their time is becoming more
limited and fragmented every day. So when it comes to shopping, they may not
always be 100 percent focused or fully engaged in the task at hand. So in order
to keep up with them, retailers are increasingly finding that they need to
innovate in ways that make it easier and more convenient for their customers to
get what they need and not miss a beat in the process."
Customers are embracing
the new opportunities to find what they want, when they want it, with the most
choice, and with a return policy that safeguards their buying decisions. And
this is not just about online. Fortunately for us there are huge number of
consumers who still love the shopping experience and get a great deal of
delight out of treading the pavements and immersing themselves in the shopping
adventure. But to some extent they have all been influenced by the ease and
convenience of the technological age and expect at least some of that ease and
convenience in-store or in-market.
Is your stall easily found at QVM? Is your location going to
make it easy for customers to compare offers? Do you have an online presence
and do you hand out business cards? Do you offer multiple payment options, a
packing service, a delivery service, and a returns policy? Are your trading
hours relevant to your customers and are you available after hours?
And some questions for QVM – do you provide sufficient
guidance to market customers? How easy is it for customers to find what they
want at QVM? Is your signage adequate, are information booths available, and do
you have an app that gives trader locations?
These are all questions that need our attention and, while
the customer rules, it could be very inconvenient to ignore them.
