When a customer slams their car door and walks into your store, another opportunity awaits to add to their experience.
Underhill says a simple step to welcoming the customer is to put a mat in front of the door to signal where to enter your shop. But once they enter, a tire store should cater to the customer’s senses, like any other retail experience.
“Once someone gets to the door, they step over the threshold… where someone makes the transition between what goes on on the outside and what is going on in the inside,” he says. “They adjust their walking speed, they have to adjust to the changing light and adjust their peripheral vision. You can stand at a doorway and be able to pick out when they start to engage (with your store). It’s important to recognize the way someone engages at age 30 and age 60.”
Underhill says lighting is critical and advises paying attention to choices that make the customers eyes adjust to the colors in the showroom. Gary Hoyt, part owner of Motivo Display Solutions, the parent company of TireShowrooms.com, says product lighting in a showroom can help highlight a product if done in the right way.
Another factor when walking into a tire dealership can be the smell. While some dealers prefer not having tires in their showroom, a well-ventilated showroom can be the fix to ridding your shop of the pungent smell of rubber wafting through your space.
Tire Shop Retail: Making a Positive First Impression | Part 1
Tire Shop Retail: Designing Your Store for Better Customer Interactions | Part 3
Tire Shop Retail: Value-Added Services for Your Waiting Room | Part 4
