Clienteling: Vitamin or Painkiller?

Inflation. Recession. Cutbacks. Uncertainty. It’s all a reality. We hope it’ll end up being a big “nothing burger,” but the indicators say otherwise, and most economists are saying that another big recession is coming. Many segments in retail just reported for the first time in two years flat sales growth and declining unit sales.

So, what do you do as a retailer when consumers tighten their pocketbooks?

During economic downturns we are more focused on needs vs. wants. We ask ourselves if something is a “nice-to-have”or a “must have.”

Retailers can (and should) do the same. They ask themselves, “Where can we cut? Should we pause hiring? Will we have to layoff staff? Do we really need this or that piece of software?” It’s understandable when there is uncertainty.

Up until now, the act of clienteling has been one of those nice-to-haves for retailers. Sales and traffic were up so there was no need to actively reach out to existing customers. And use of clienteling software was more of a vitamin. It helped but wasn’t critical.

In this new environment, clienteling will no longer be a vitamin but a painkiller. A painkiller aimed at curbing lagging sales and slowing business.

As retailers, you can’t control the economy. But you can control if you are going to be the retailer that opens your doors and waits for customers to walk in or if you are going to proactively reach out to the countless clients you have and get them through to your store. And while other messaging apps may help collect reviews and payments, they’ll never drive your culture as a retailer.

Clientbook is here to help you unlock your personalized service at scale. Now is the time to make sure you are using it to its fullest. Now is the time for you to shift from a reactive store to a proactive store.

So now would be a good time to double down on clienteling and improving customer relationships. See our post on tips for fighting inflation with clienteling.