Getting to know your customers wants and needs is the best way to go about fulfilling them. But how do you really get to know people when they only shop at your supermarket once or twice a week or a few times a month? Sending periodic surveys allows you to reach out and solicit comments, suggestions, and advice from those who frequent your market the most. Use this information to stock popular products, increase sales, and provide even better customer service.
Supermarket Surveys
Before spending your entire monthly budget stocking store shelves with items people may or may not buy, consider asking them first. Even though you have plenty of sales data to draw from when making inventory fulfillment decisions, asking customers directly can help you fill in the blanks when it comes to certain items.
Running a supermarket requires you to full understand the needs and wants of customers. Send those on your subscriber list a survey asking them about their favorite products, items they would like to see in your store, items they never purchase, and any other suggestions they have about customer service, and basic store operations.
What to Do with this Data
Surveys are an excellent supermarket tool you can use to determine what customers really look for when visiting your store. Review responses from your survey to see if any patterns develop. If lots of people request that your market open earlier or close later, consider changing the store hours to accommodate this need.
When reviewing survey data, other patterns may emerge including:
· Common product suggestions
· Product placement ideas
· Customer service requests
· Parking lot issues
· Supermarket cleanliness
· Holiday store hours
· Sale frequency
Try not to be offended by the responses you receive – after all, you did ask people to give their honest opinion and share their thoughts.
Survey Follow-Up
Send a follow-up message thanking all those who participated in the survey after reviewing the responses. Keep subscribers informed by sending additional messages when making changes in the store. Send coupons or other discounts to those who took the time to fill out and return the survey. This increases the chances they will fill out future surveys.
Let customers know if you make changes to the store in response to suggestions based on survey results. This lets people know that you genuinely care about your customer's opinions and encourages people to fill out surveys each time you send one.