Make staff your front-line lookouts

Build feedback mechanisms, formal or informal, for staff to report their impressions on what works and what doesn't. Put to good use observations on where customers linger and handle goods, then buy or don't buy. Monitor how customers react to promotions and record any anecdotal comments they make.

No one enjoys a recession and, with the barometer of sales directly reflecting diminishing customer confidence and spend, retailers are less cushioned than their peers in other industries. For them, a downturn is obvious and more brutal. Nevertheless, retailers can turn hard times to their advantage.

Working more closely with employees can engender a greater sense of solidarity and enable owners and managers to dip into a pool of talent and ideas. As staff become more empowered and driven to do a better job, they will become better informed and more motivated. Customers will notice the difference, and your business might just come out of the downturn in better shape than it entered it.

About the Author:

Ian Tomlinson is the Founder and Managing Director of Cybertill Limited, a provider of managed EPoS and e-commerce solutions for retailer of all sizes and in all sectors.

Please visit: www.cybertill.co.uk