It goes without saying that many consumers are doing a lot more online research prior to making purchases. If they do go to the store, they buy what they want and leave – they don’t window shop. Unemployment rates and tight budgets have only added fuel to the fire for these “surgical” shoppers. Retailers need to figure out how to bring out their customers’ former selves, their inner window shoppers, who were much more likely to make impulse buys.

To combat decreased window shopping, retailers must analyze the in-store experiences they currently offer and vamp them up to appeal to their target consumers. If retail doesn’t adapt to consumer behavior, people will continue to shop online, ultimately decreasing in-store sales.

So what’s a retailer to do?

1. Get your Tech on. I need not say that Smartphones are all the rage right now. People take them everywhere, so why not incorporate them into your store? Encourage shoppers to utilize Smartphones to scan their items as they shop or navigate through the store. Some retailers offer iPads not just for staff to check inventory, but to enhance and simplify the customer’s shopping experience. It may require a lot of back-end work for you and your team, but it will pay off in the end.
2. Clean up your act. Aesthetics and cleanliness go hand-in-hand when it comes to making shoppers feel comfortable. The way shoppers’ senses react to your store will determine their mood – and their spending. Success in this area means updated, relevant decor, furniture, and lighting, appropriate music (at the right volume), an appealing scent (depending on the industry), and overall cleanliness. Starbucks is a great example of a brand that’s notorious for setting the mood.
3. Lay it out. If you make all of your products visible and easily accessible to shoppers, there’s a better chance they will make a purchase, simply because they are aware of your offerings. A prime example of a brand that uses the psychology of layout to its advantage is IKEA. The store screams “Buy something!” because shoppers are guided on a path and exposed to almost every product, thus increasing the chance that they will see something they want.
4. Engage with complementary experiences. Give people a reason to stay in your store – something that is inline with your brand positioning, but that varies from what you carry on your shelves. Barnes & Noble did this when it added Starbucks cafes to its locations.
5. Say it with a smile. We’ve all had at least one bad customer service experience. Unfortunately, in retail, shoppers have come to expect it and are often surprised and pleased when they encounter good service. As a retailer, this poses a great opportunity to stand out and be the store with knowledgeable, friendly, available associates. It seems like a no brainer, but there are many brands who fall through the cracks in this category.
6. Keep it stocked. The last thing you want is paying customers and empty shelves. Make sure you have enough merchandise or shoppers will go elsewhere to find what they want.

Whether you run a small boutique or big box store, what people experience inside is what determines if they’ll come back. The saying “build it and they will come” does not necessarily apply. Since online shopping is not going away, get used to using your in-store experience as a marketing tool. If you ignore how your customers are shopping, they’ll just ignore you right back.