Mine social media for ways to improve retail business
Social media sites can be invaluable for marketing a retail business, but they also serve another purpose. By monitoring social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, retailers can find out what their customers enjoy and dislike about their brand, shopping experience and point of sale.
While not every issue will result in a customer picking up a phone or writing an email to alert a retailer, it's far more likely that unhappy or dissatisfied shoppers will tweet at a business or post on its Facebook wall to air their grievances. While it may not seem like negative posts could work to benefit a retailer, they can actually provide the key for businesses to make improvements. The Point of Sale News reported that negative feedback can reveal weaknesses in your ecommerce software or POS system.
It can also give you the opportunity to respond to negative feedback. Whether a customer had a bad experience or is dissatisfied with a product or service, businesses should respond positively, offering an explanation or solution to help appease that individual. Social Media Today recommended not ignoring or deleting negative feedback, but responding to it appropriately.
If the criticism is valid, the article suggested offering a genuine apology and a solution, but if their claim is falsified or outlandish, the retailer should not admit fault (since they did nothing wrong). Brands should provide a general apology that the customer is dissatisfied and ask for more information about the problem.
