UNCOVERED: The real reason customers leave your store

Let’s all be honest here. It’s been a rough time for retail. No one has ever seen a retail environment like what we’ve all been through in the last 18 months. There have been conflicting rules, the threat of shutdowns, and of course the fear people have had throughout it all. It certainly hasn’t helped corner stores that people have become so comfortable with online ordering.

And now, finally, hopefully we’ve seen the worst of it. Hopefully more and more people will feel comfortable with shopping in person, and you’ll have the opportunity to earn the money you want.

It’s all on the line, isn’t it? I mean as a business owner you know it’s always all on the line, every day. But there’s never been a more critical time to try to earn your customers’ business. But first, you have to know what keeps them in the store and what drives them away.

Yeah, price, service, selection…

Of course people come in to find what they’re looking for at a fair price. But that’s not why they come back, and that’s not what keeps them in the store. What keeps them in the store and keeps them returning is that they have a good experience. That doesn’t necessarily mean what you think it means.

Yes, of course your store must be clean. Your people must be friendly. All of that still applies in the 2020s. But it’s not the only indicator. You have to give people an experience that helps them stay connected, too.

Connection is more important than ever

I remember about ten years ago a business owner bragged to me. They told me they loved that there was no cell service in their building. Without cell service, they said, people couldn’t check online prices and so he was free to make a fair profit.

That store is out of business now.

You can’t think like that in the 2020s. You have to give people the connection they crave. No one wants to be disconnected anymore. There’s just too much going on. They’re getting texts, they’re seeing what’s on their social feeds. And yes, sometimes they’re checking your prices against your competitors. Don’t be afraid of that. If you’re fairly priced, you’ll win out even if you’re a bit more expensive. After all, the person’s already in the store!

It’s critical that you help people stay connected. It’s not just a matter of making a positive impression. If people miss an important message, they won’t come back to the store. They just won’t. And if your store serves that 18-34 demographic, it’s five times more important. You have to keep them connected or they just won’t shop with you.

Free Wi-Fi is so… yesterday

Today’s customers don’t want free Wi-Fi. They don’t trust it. They don’t want to bother trying to connect and they don’t want to worry that their information is getting stolen. Yes, there are places where people have learned how to be comfortable with free Wi-Fi. But if you operate a small business and not a Starbucks, that probably doesn’t apply to you.

Free Wi-Fi marks you as hopelessly backward in the eyes of the all-important millennials and zoomers. They just want good cell service, and they want it all the time. If they don’t get it, they’ll leave. They won’t come back. Considering how hard it is to get that demographic to visit a physical store anyway, do you want to risk it?

Get a business cell phone signal booster from Solid Signal

What you want is a cell phone signal booster. Cell phone signal boosters take cell signals from outside and pipe them in, nice and strong, throughout your business. You can install them yourself, or hire an electrical contractor to do the work. It doesn’t matter if you have 2,000 square feet or 200,000 square feet, there’s a solution for you. Best of all, you don’t have to guess what that solution is!

Call the experts at Solid Signal during East Coast business hours. The number is 888-233-7563. They’ll help you choose a cell phone signal booster that will work for your business. Stop the flow of people leaving your business and make it a better place to stay! Your customers will reward you with more business!

If it’s after East Coast business hours, fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.