Even though e-commerce is seriously gnawing at physical shops. Physical shops with a messy environment would most definitely get a little crumb of what is left. Of the 70% of consumers surveyed in a study commissioned by ServiceChannel, a facilities management platform, and who said they had once experienced messy stores, over two-thirds have walked out of stores because of the way they looked.
The study suggests that struggling retailers who neglect stores to cut costs hasten their demise by turning off shoppers. The survey was carried out on 1,521 consumers and 70% of them said they recently have had a negative experience with a messy store.
Over two-thirds admitted they have walked out of stores because they were messy or disorganized.
Four out of five shoppers said they would rather have a clean store than ones with the newest tech, and two-thirds said retailers are forgetting the basics—like clean floors and well-stocked shelves—in the rush to add tech.
“The vast majority of purchases are still being done by people walking into a location. And their experience of that location has never been more important,” Buiocchi, the CEO ServiceChannel said in an interview.
“If you look at folks like Allbirds or Warby Parker, Bonobos or Soul Cycle or Shake Shack, their locations are so comfortable and well laid out and so well maintained. You would never walk into a Warby Parker or a Shake Shack and say ‘Man this place is messy.’ Or the lights are dim or it’s too cold in here. They just don’t let that happen.’’
ServiceChannel is in the business of selling software and services that allow retailers to manage store maintenance, connect with and pay contractors, and track invoices, so it is no surprise that it is touting a survey that concludes store cleanliness is crucial. But he has a point that is often overlooked by retailers.
With ServiceChannel, retailers can book contractors and manage maintenance jobs on mobile phones.
“Much like when you get an Uber or Lyft ride and the entire ride is digitally recorded, the transaction is digitally recorded so someone 3,000 miles away can go fix a toilet for you at a Banana Republic and you will know based on the GPS coordinates when that person got there, how long they stayed, whether they showed up on time, and they can send you a picture,” Buiocchi said.
ServiceChannel is seeing that many of the new online brands that are opening stores are quick to recognize the value of rigorous maintenance and are signing up as customers.
“There are the people that get it, and there are the people that don’t get it,” Buiocchi said. “Five years from now what are the chances that the people who don’t get it are going to be in business?”
Buiocchi says reports of a retail death end are overrated. As stores close, new retail disruptors are opening locations and expanding.
“Good progressive retail is investing in their brick-and-mortar experiences and enjoying the benefits of that,” he said. “Bad retail is not and they’re unfortunately being penalized for that.”
In all, messy stores can be a deal breaker, more so today than ever before.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world.