Jan 2019, by Julius Abendan
4 Things Millennials Want from Retail Stores
Millennials make up a huge chunk of the population nowadays, and it only makes sense that retailers should figure out how they can effectively bring their message across to their most modern of generations.
The question that everyone should be thinking about in this context is: “What does the millennial generation want from today’s retailers?”
Great Customer Service
Much like all the generations before them, millennials value great customer service above everything else. When they walk into a store, they expect to be treated the way they think they deserve. That varies from person to person, of course.
What makes millennials unique, however, is their appreciation of the power of their opinion. If they don’t like a store after a very bad customer experience, they know that they can go to their social media accounts and let their sentiments known to their network. This is a quality that you should be able to leverage in your favor by giving them
exceptional customer service.
A Sense of Community
Despite their seeming attachment to the Internet and smartphones, millennials do care about their communities. These young people have a sense of solidarity with their respective communities, and they always want that everything they do contributes in some manner or two to the goodwill of the neighborhood.
One way to catch a millennial’s retail heart is to support locally-produced merchandise. You should also take steps to ensure that your store supports sustainability initiatives as these efforts are close to almost every millennial’s heart.
They are very well-informed, and they’ll know without doubt which retailers are giving back to the community and who are not. You might want to be on the positive side of that.
Great Value for Their Money
Millennials are very good at hunting for bargain prices. They have the technology behind which they can fall back to if they are unsure about the prices offered by a local retailer or two. While they are sensitive about pricing, however, millennials are also paradoxically passionate about the value that they get out of their purchase.
For instance, a millennial is not wholly satisfied if they do get a good deal for prices but are unable to enjoy excellent customer service. On the other hand, retailers who are able to attach great offers for certain items, like a 25% discount on any additional item purchased or free shipping (in case of e-commerce), can easily market to millennials with success.
The Retailer Must Have a Web Presence
As these people are deeply embedded in the digital world, they’re quickly put off by sellers who don’t have a Web presence. It’s about convenience - with social media and the Web, millennials are able to get timely and accurate pricing information within just a few minutes and with a few swipes of their fingers on their phones.
So, you should bolster your online presence and be passionately active in your social media accounts. The people who follow your Twitter and Facebook are your target market, after all, and you have to let them know what’s up with your retail store so they’ll know if they need to make a visit. If you’ve got a promo coming up, they expect to be the first to know from your Facebook or website.
