The old adage says that “the Customer is King” – but is that all there is to customer loyalty? Think bigger! Offering your customers a memorable in-store experience is no longer merely essential in order to keep them coming back; it is also a strategic priority for brand profitability that cannot be ignored.
If you want to strengthen your bonds with your customers, launching a complete loyalty scheme tying in with an omnichannel strategy appears to be the best solution. You need to innovate in order to win them over, while keeping a step ahead in terms of knowing their needs and expectations. Rolling out a solution like this is not easy unless you make your resources omnichannel.
Securing your customers’ loyalty inevitably involves gathering accurate, comprehensive data on them. Once you have unified each customer’s file you can track all their purchases, loyalty bonuses, equipment repairs and rentals. When they come into your store you already know all about them and what their expectations will be. When they order online they enjoy the same benefits and special offers as they would in-store, in accordance with your loyalty policy.
When you are engaged with your customers, you know exactly what they want and expect. With a unified customer database you can consolidate and analyse their shopping behaviour and optimise your marketing policy. Understand and anticipate their expectations, and act quickly to meet them.
Design inventive promotion campaigns for customers segmented according to how they interact with your business. What could be better than letting your customers who are keen runners know that the latest trail running shoes have just arrived in store, to kick off the season ? Or tempting your VIP customers with exclusive online and in-store offers before the sales officially start ?
Comprehensive insight into the ways your customers interact with your brand gives you a unique mine of information to tap into for designing, creating and rolling out targeted communications to generate footfall and boost your turnover. You are in a position to communicate via a variety of channels (text message, email, etc.) while offering a personalised, 100% digital relationship.
Another key to fostering loyalty is a one-to-one interaction with a sales assistant. One entirely digitised sports brand provides its customers with precise technical advice to help them choose a pair of skis, an electric bicycle or the right gear for their next trail run. Equip your sales assistants with mobile solutions such as tablets and skiman apps, giving them quick, easy access to the entire range of products and services available at their store or from their brand, and they will keep their customers satisfied every time !
Supporting keen sports enthusiasts takes more than one day. Relationships are built over long periods, based on your services as well as your products. To retain your customers you need to offer a complete range of clothing, shoes and gear – and the related services. Renting out skis, repairing bikes and offering product tests are services that make your store stand out. They bring you closer to your customers. And as is the case with in-store ranges, these services are becoming accessible digitally. It is perfectly feasible to offer the same services online and in-store !
From centralised range management to omnichannel customer relations, read on and check out our solutions to build loyalty across your distribution network.
“One function of the Ginkoia workshop schedule software that I use a lot is the customer management tool. I know what the customer purchased in-store, how many times they have been in, if their bike has been through the workshop, or if I have changed any parts. It’s very convenient.”
Alexis Lefebvre, Alex’trem store in La Roche sur Foron
"We tested several technics in the past to find out if a size was available without going back and forth to the storeroom, but these were often neither modern nor truly reliable. Now that we have the mobile app, our sales staff can scan the article and find out directly from the app what sizes and colours we have in stock."
P. Boimard, manager of a Sport 2000 store
"We were also impressed by the quality of the training delivered by Ginkoia consultants. The person who assisted us was perfectly qualified to support us during this key transition, answered all of our questions, helped us transpose our working practices into the Ginkoia solution, and made themselves available whenever we needed them."
Patrick Ellena, 1 Sport 2000 store
"We asked users of our Ginkoia software what they thought of it during the 2019 Sport Achat Hiver trade fair. Since our customers are the best advocates for the solution they use in their stores, here is a video testimonial directly from them!"
Sport Achat 2019 trade fair
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