Many retail store owners are under the impression that customers only really started worrying about cleanliness after the COVID-19 pandemic, but the truth of the matter is that customers have always cared about retail cleanliness. Cleanliness is essential when it comes to providing a positive customer experience.
Seventy percent of customers who claimed to have a negative shopping experience complained of dirt, from dirty shelves to smudged windows, while sixty nine percent stated they left the store and went to a competitors store due to cleanliness.
It's also important to bear in mind that the majority of customers have a mobile device and they will take a photograph or video if your retail store is dirty, posting it to social media and sharing it with their friends. This could seriously damage your reputation.
When you have a clean and tidy retail store, you protect your customers, making them feel welcome, encouraging them to shop in your store. This means buying the right cleaning equipment and products, creating a cleaning schedule, and providing adequate employee training, to ensure any mess and spills are cleaned up immediately. Main areas to focus on includes floors, windows, bathrooms, dressing rooms, counters and shelves.
While you may think no one is going to notice a dirty floor, you are mistaken. Shoppers will quickly note a dirty floor or spills, immediately providing them with a bad impression of your business. Dirty floors also increase the risk of accidents and injuries.
Mopping the floors daily to remove dirt and grime is essential and quick. Any mess or spills should be dealt with immediately.
Your stores windows are the first and last thing your potential customer sees. Dirty windows to passers-by can prevent them from entering the store. With gleaming windows, passers-by are able to look into your retail store, seeing your displays, encouraging them to walk in the door and shop.
Yes, window cleaning is a time consuming process and hiring professional cleaners may be the best solution. Window cleaning does not have to be done daily, but it is recommended to keep an eye for marks and smudges, removing them as you see them to ensure your store offers sparkling clean windows.
A large volume of customers will not use a store that has a dirty bathroom. While not every customer will use the bathroom, you will still have a high percentage that will. Your bathrooms should be checked regularly, ensuring that they are clean and hygienic. They need to be fully-stocked at all times, ensuring there is ample hand soap and towels, along with toilet paper. Bathrooms should be cleaned daily, and in busy stores, more than once a day to keep them clean and hygienic for you, your employees, and your customers.
If your retail store sells clothing, then you must ensure your dressing rooms are clean. These should be checked on a regular basis, ensuring they are fresh, clean, and ready for the next customer. Employees should take the time to check the dressing rooms, removing any hangers, and outfits,along with ensuring the mirrors are gleaming without any marks and streaks. Dressing rooms should be vacuumed at least once a day, even more during busy periods. This is one of the areas of your store that experiences very high foot traffic and needs to be free of any debris, dust, and dirt at all times.
The shelves and counters in your retail store are high touch areas, and they should be consistently cleaned and sanitised. Messy shelves should be neatened up throughout the day, ensuring you always make a great impression on your potential customers when they walk out the door. Provide employees with cleaning products and microfibre cloths, so that they can spot clean counters and shelves throughout the day, while keeping your store smelling fresh.
Ensuring cleanliness in your retail store provides a positive customer experience. Customers are more likely to have a bad experience when your store is dirty and messy. If you want your customers to shop and come back time and time again, make cleanliness a priority. Sloane Cleaning Services is here to help with our speciality retail store cleaning services. Get in touch today to secure your free quote.