The Proof is in the Pudding...

Did any of you watch Mary Portas: Secret Shopper (Channel 4) on Wednesday 2nd February?

In this episode, Mary took on the High Street mobile phone outlets, those typically male bastions that revolve around the hard-sell and the up-sell.

"Secret cameras reveal them to be one of the least user-friendly retail environments on the high street. Staff bombard you with technical information that has little to do with finding the right phone for you - and you can't even try before you buy."

Mary's sights were set on FoneHouse, a largely-franchised business that has some fairly ambitious growth plans, but follows the pack when it comes to the trading style of its stores and the service offered by its staff.

By changing the interiors of stores to make them far more welcoming, encouraging dwell time and a far greater level of helpful customer service, Mary aimed to prove that FoneHouse could lead the way in which mobile phone stores treat their customers. Taking the Angel, Islington branch as the test site, the turnaround in perceived customer satisfaction levels were so great that the CEO of FoneHouse had no hesitation in deciding to roll out the new store designs to all new branches, and then re-design existing branches.

If you saw the program, you will have noticed that one feature that was very evident in the new design was the use of digital signage.

On the walls of the store, instead of racks of accessories in bubble packs, there were screens that displayed product information, deals and special offers. The use of these screens provides subliminal direct response sales opportunities without being perceived as the hard-sell. Staff are on hand to answer queries whilst customers are free to test real products, not replicas attached to the walls by a piece of string.

Old Layout

Redesign, showing the use of digital screens



The whole premise behind the redesign is to make customers feel valued, provide them with information that is relevant to them and allow staff the time to listen to what the customers want and then advise them accordingly - the essence of great customer service.

Digital marketing screens are playing an increasingly important role in this approach, as it allows companies to get their core marketing messages across in a non-techy, user-friendly and informative way, furniching customers with the right information for them to make the right choice.

At FoneHouse, Mary carried out a quick customer survey and when asked if FoneHouse would be their brand of choice prior to the redesign, 80% of customers said "No". After the refit, 97% said "Yes".

As a result of the refit, the Islington branch reported that new contracts and upgrades increased by a third.

The overall response was that the new style was welcoming, relaxed and provided a great environment.

What effect could a digital marketing screen have on your business?

To view this episode of Mary Portas: Secret Shopper, click here:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mary-portas-secret-shopper/4od#3158376

For information on digital marketing screens, please contact Argent Ram Media on 0845 009 5396, or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com