BY NICOLE LEINBACH HOFFMAN

The customer journey is an interesting one. As consumers ourselves, we relate to being loyal to brands and stores, as well as to letting go of them for assorted reasons.

Think about why you have decided to part ways with a store or brand. Do you think some of your customers may have done this with your business for similar reasons?

Reflection is not always easy but is an important consideration as you aim to positively reinforce customer relationships to avoid losing them in the future. Providing exceptional customer care, prioritizing consumer communication, and collecting feedback from customers are ways to look ahead and strengthen customer connectivity.

Loyalty rewards, seamless customer journeys, and strong employees support this even more. Avoid losing customers on your unique retail journey by following the five tips below.

Avoid Unauthentic Customer Service

You know how you can spot a phony person? Well, your customers also can.

One of the top ways customers judge — yes, judge — a store is based on the employees who represent it. This means you need to invest in your staff and train them to always prioritize customer care — without any exceptions.

From greeting customers to supporting consumers in their product discovery to navigating the transaction process and exiting customers from your store, it is essential to set standards for your business so there are no misunderstandings from your team. This also helps ensure customers are cared for equally no matter who is working for your store on any given day. The last thing you want is to lose a customer based on the lack of support from someone representing your business — plain and simple.

Leverage VIP Perks for Loyalty

Loyalty programs are one of the best ways to generate repeat customers and sales. Offering exclusive benefits and early access to new arrivals or unique events can further enhance your store’s VIP offers.

Do not overlook the value of recognizing customers for mile­stone celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries, and other special

events with customized offerings that make them feel supported and appreciated. To further enhance this, make your loyalty program an easy-to-opt-in experience that is available during checkout.

It does not hurt to also highlight the benefits of your loyalty program through in-store signage, social media, and email market­ing. Once you have active customers in this program, nurture it routinely, with customer communication and incentives alike.

Ease Customer Dispute Scenarios Quickly

No matter how great your customer care is, there will still be moments that demand handling customer dispute scenarios. From return policy frustrations to lack of inventory availability to damaged items, your goal is to do your best to effectively ease the situation.

When a customer is upset, disappointed, frustrated, or mad, remain patient, keep a gentle tone, and deliver a resolution that is fair. Keeping customers aware of why you are making the decisions also helps them understand the pending resolution, even if they do not always agree with it. The real takeaway, though, is to provide a solution that is as fair as possible and to do this in a timely, profes­sional fashion.

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Nicole Leinbach Hoffman is the founder of RetailMinded.com, a well-respected retail industry resource that has been recognized worldwide for its leading business insight since 2007. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, the UK’s Telegraph, CNN, the Today show, and countless other industry resources. Additionally, she has supported American Express’s Small Business Saturday as a spokesperson and is the author of the book Retail 101: The Guide to Managing and Marketing Your Retail Business, published by McGraw-Hill. With a core concentration on small businesses and independent retailers, she welcomes you to connect via Instagram at @RetailMindedWorld and Twitter via @RetailMinded.