The modern consumer has many suggestions for making a purchase: in stores, by catalog, by phone, ordering in e-commerce stores, etc.
In recent years, the consumer has become very discerning, driven by the following factors:
- the expanding advertising market has brought down the flow of information on the consumer with the help of various advertising means, as a result of which its information content has increased;
- thanks to the globalization of the world economy and Russia's accession to the WTO, the number of large transnational organizations trading in different markets is increasing, offering the same goods, the choice of which is huge, but the product range in them is often close in groups, types of goods and their brands;
- the desire of firms to actively promote new products on the market has led to the fact that the consumer has become less focused on branded goods;
- a new buyer has appeared - "an expert who has his own opinion about everything";
- buyers have become more sophisticated and price sensitive; the factor of economic concern is increasingly common in the motives for buying;
- buyers do not have enough time, and they want to get additional convenience, increase the requirements for service.
These tendencies in changing consumer behavior are the first to be felt by the retail trade.
The success or failure of a retailer is largely determined by the level of customer commitment. Customer loyalty is largely determined by the subjective assessment of the store, which is formed in their minds. In this regard, any trading enterprise must be considered not only from a functional, but also from a market-psychological point of view. Due to the attractive image of the store, the buyer perceives it as different from others, sees its advantages that competitors lack, and chooses this store as a permanent place of purchase.
The image is often defined as the totality of all ideas, knowledge, experience, desires, feelings associated with a particular object. The image is "constructed" and implemented to achieve certain goals.
The following elements of the image of a commercial enterprise are distinguished:
• tangible image (the first impression of the enterprise is connected with it);
• intangible image (determines the customer's response to the service and the attitude of the company's employees towards it);
• internal image (atmosphere within the enterprise, relations between employees);
• external image (formed under the influence of the first three elements, as well as public opinion about the enterprise).
In each segment of the market, customers shape the store image for themselves, guided by the indicators that themselves seem to be the most significant. American scientists J. Angel, R. Blackwell, commenting on this statement, present the process of perception and choice of a store in terms of such characteristics as location, assortment, prices, advertising and sales promotion, level of service and training of sales personnel.
Shoppers can quickly recall a particular store by asking which store comes to their mind first when referring to metrics such as “lowest price level,” “most convenient,” and so on. Moreover, all answers include the names of the most famous and popular stores in the target segment. Thus, the more consumers' notions of what a store should be like corresponds to the real picture, the stronger the psychological readiness to make a purchase in this particular store.
Stores wishing to develop a positioning methodology need to find out what position they occupy in the minds of customers, what position they want to take, how to do it without entering into open competition, and whether the company's marketing and financial budget is sufficient to maintain the position, whether it has enough opportunities to use the selected positioning strategy.
Our analysis of the work of Moscow retail chains has shown that many have created for themselves a well-defined image and easily identifiable positions. In the food retail trade in Moscow, the Azbuka Vkusa organization has taken a position in the "upper" part of the market, based on product quality and trying to attract gourmets. The stores of this organization are designed for those who prefer to buy products with a firm guarantee of quality.
Discount stores (from the English Discount - discount) are designed for the mass consumer. To increase the interest of buyers in them, it is important to build the image of the enterprise, focusing on the combination of low prices and quality assurance of goods. This is how Pyaterochka and others position themselves.
A variety of factors can influence consumer preferences for a retailer: product safety, packaging quality, store hygiene, convenient opening hours, and retail value added services. The more a merchant wants to achieve, the more attention should be paid to the little things.
Habits have a significant impact on consumer behavior. Some buyers prefer large supermarkets, others prefer small shops near their home, and still others prefer weekend fairs. But they all rely on their total experience of purchasing goods, which includes all aspects of the communication between the buyer and the seller, from the buyer's entrance to the store and ending with the exit from it.
Some points - the number of sellers, window dressing, prices and brands of goods - depend on the store manager, and such as the availability of parking spaces, the delivery time of the goods are not always under his control, and if something does not satisfy the buyer, he may never return to this shop.
Most stores offer a similar assortment of goods in a certain segment of the market (considered on a territorial basis), a competitive advantage can be obtained by the one who is the first to "stand out" from the crowd of their own kind. The external and internal design of the store is of great importance. The external design of the store to a large extent determines how many people passing by will be interested and enter it, and from the internal - how much money they will spend on purchases. Signage, showcase, store entrance, quality of goods and services, store layout and product placement are the factors that shape the image.
The list and quality of additional services largely depend on the specialization of the store and determine whether the customer will be satisfied or not. Very often, the actual quality of these services and the style of service do not meet the customer's expectations. For example, some salespeople forget to greet and thank for a visit, which is exactly what many shoppers expect.
The quality of services and the image of a commercial enterprise are largely determined by the competence and professional training of the seller.
First, he must know the consumer characteristics of the offered product, because the buyer is inclined to consider him as an expert in this field. Moreover, the seller must be aware of the merits and demerits of the product in order to be able to present it to the buyer.
Secondly, the seller must know all the conditions of the after-sales service, if any.
Thirdly, the seller must be aware of the state of affairs of the manufacturing enterprise, including its financial position.
However, this is not enough for a successful business. Marketing specialists identify the following qualities necessary for a seller: the ability to communicate with customers, self-confidence, the ability to think analytically and be creative, the ability to find a non-standard solution, the art of persuasion, the ability to empathize, benevolence.
To develop an effective strategy for positioning an organization in the market, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis and market survey.