NEW YORK (AFX) - Retailers can turn browsers into buyers by making their stores easy to navigate and improving customer service, according to a Deloitte & Touche USA LLP survey presented at the industry's annual retail conference in New York on Tuesday.
The survey asked 4,000 consumers why they walk out of a store without buying. About 64 percent said the item or size they were looking for was out of stock, 57 percent said the register line was too long, 52 percent said a sales associate was not easily available, and 32 percent said a sales associate could not answer the question they asked.
During the National Retail Federation's annual convention in New York, Pat Conroy, vice chairman and national managing principal of the consumer business practice for consulting firm Deloitte & Touche, said making the effort to convert shoppers into buyers is well worth it: a 2 percent conversion rate of shoppers into buyers leads to a 10 percent sales gain.
'It's the single most important thing a retailer can focus on,' Conroy said.
Mark Giresi, executive vice president of retail operations for Limited Brands Inc., which operates store brands including the Limited, Express, Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, said sales increased in retail outlets once he made sure there were enough staffers per store during times when traffic was likely to be higher.
'We matched labor to traffic,' he said. 'It's a simple idea but not easy to do.'
For example, one Victoria's Secret store scheduled more staffers on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays when traffic was higher.
'We focused on converting shoppers, not average daily sales,' Giresi said, but noted that sales jumped in response to the store's efforts.
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