Investing in cutting-edge tools isn’t as crucial as creating a customer-centric company culture. These days, the most successful stores might be anything from massive online marketplaces selling everything imaginable to offbeat specialist shops offering a narrower variety of products. But they all have a common understanding that without customers there would be no business.

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Customers nowadays have high standards. They anticipate being able to have everything they want whenever they want it, whether that’s a movie with the tap of a screen, a week at a theme park with no need to pull out cash because of the “magic band” on their wrist, or software upgrades to keep their automobile running longer during a hurricane. Nowadays, people want everything to be available instantly.
As a result, consumers now have higher standards for how quickly and easily they can complete purchases and how well the stores they frequent “know” them. Companies who can’t meet this standard will swiftly be passed over for those that can. The era of blind allegiance and few alternatives is over.
What is Competitive Advantage?
A corporation has a competitive edge if it can make or provide its products or services more efficiently than its rivals. It helps businesses increase their profits and benefit their shareholders.
When a corporation has a competitive edge, it means they have something that their competitors don’t have. This worth is generated in-house and represents the firm’s unique selling proposition.
Customer Loyalty:
Having loyal clients is one of the most valuable advantages for any retail business. They have a strong connection to a specific store and frequently shop there. Retailers value customer loyalty because it indicates that customers will continue to buy from them despite the presence of alternative options. Customer loyalty is hard to maintain.
It calls for sales associates that are fully committed, prompt service, and original products. Customers of “Subhiksha Mobile,” for instance, will remain customers even if “go mobile” establishes a store in the area and adopts a cheap price strategy and provides free gifts with every transaction.
Store Location:
It is common knowledge that a store’s location is one of the most significant strategic decisions made by any business. Since the vast majority of purchases in India are made in person, it is crucial to give careful consideration to the store’s location. When you’re in a strategic position, not only do you save money on transportation, but you also draw in additional clients. All retailers, regardless of product quality, customer service, or competitive price, must contend with the same three success elements: location, location, and location.
Thus, a store should do a thorough locational study, taking into account elements such as economic, political, and social/cultural context, before settling on a certain site. A store’s location is a long-term strategic choice that cannot be reversed once made, and this must be understood by the retailer. Daily expenses for loading, unloading, and distributing are reduced with a strategically placed facility. As a result, picking the right spot calls for a lot of deliberation and preparation.
The fate of a business and its bottom line are decided by where its stores are placed. Location is crucial for businesses of all kinds, not just retailers. Success is guaranteed, and day-to-day tasks like loading and unloading items may be completed with ease if you invest in a decent location. This calls for the highest level of preparation. Every customer is unique and deserves special treatment, and retailers must recognize this.
Managing Human Resources:
In order to be successful in retail, human resource management is essential. Human resources are still essential to the retail industry, as machines cannot replace employees in core roles like inventory management, product presentation, and customer service. Companies in the retail industry recognize the value of a dedicated staff.
Retailers can’t function as efficiently or successfully without their dedicated staff. Good staff recruitment and retention have always been challenging. The mental faculties, personality traits, intelligence, vigor, interests, aspirations, etc. of any two workers are the same.
Their responses to the same stimuli might vary depending on these factors. In light of this, it’s clear that a retailer’s or shop manager’s human resource management is an ongoing and difficult challenge. However, businesses and their managers may gain an edge by focusing on their employees’ needs in terms of problem solving, training, and motivation, as well as by offering suitable rewards.
Systems of Dissemination and Information
If only all stores could meet their consumers’ demands in terms of quality, quantity, and cost, everyone would be happy. They go above and above to meet deadlines and offer competitive pricing on all orders. Some stores, rather of relying on a low-price approach to attract customers, invest that money in other ways, including improved customer service or more eye-catching displays.
Stores are able to save time and money by updating and standardizing their distribution and data systems. Consumers benefit from an effective distribution and information system in two ways: (1) there are fewer stock outs, and (2) the shop carries a wider selection of products that customers want, where they want to buy them.
Unique Merchandise:
These days, a retailer can buy any product from anywhere in the world and sell it in their stores, thanks to advances in technology, the opening of borders, and the free flow of goods across countries. However, many retailers stay ahead of the competition by creating their own private or store brands.
These items are created just for that store, and the shop has sole distribution and marketing rights.
Supplier Partnerships:
Maintaining positive relationships with suppliers is another important factor in retail success.
Strong ties with suppliers provide successful merchants with a competitive edge.
- By securing a monopolistic position in a market and securing exclusive rights to sell products there.
- To have access to advantageous terms and conditions that are unavailable to rivals who do not maintain strong relationships with their suppliers;
- To quickly acquire goods that are in high demand but low in quantity. A retailer’s competitive advantage grows the longer the two parties remain connected.
Customer service
Customer service is essential in retail because employees on the floor must constantly engage with clients. Promotional sales and enticing discounts might boost short-term revenue, but if not enough of those consumers return, the shop will fail.
The goal of providing excellent service is to encourage repeat business from satisfied consumers. Customers that leave your business with grins on their faces have wonderful things to say about their experience. In certain circumstances, satisfied customers will even tell their friends about their positive experiences purchasing at your establishments. This is always a possibility, so yes. Word-of-mouth promotion is the fastest way to grow your business’s clientele.
Even if you have an excellent sales team on the floor, your ability to make a sale to a particular consumer will ultimately depend on the impression you leave with them. The service given by the floor workers and the experience of the consumers with them has a significant impact on the image. Either way, customers will talk about their experiences, whether they were happy or not.
Establishing a connection with clients that they value and want to maintain over time is the key to providing excellent customer service. Intention and persistence are key in figuring out how to build a long-lasting bond. Always keep in mind that providing excellent customer service without showing any signs of avarice is the key to building lasting connections. Through this method, your actions, rather than your words, will become synonymous with your brand.
Want to ensure that your retail business always remains ahead of the curve? Contact us here today!

Gaurav Sabharwal
CEO of JOP
Gaurav is the CEO of JOP (Joy of Performing), an OKR and high-performance enabling platform. With almost two decades of experience in building businesses, he knows what it takes to enable high performance within a team and engage them in the business. He supports organizations globally by becoming their growth partner and helping them build high-performing teams by tackling issues like lack of focus, unclear goals, unaligned teams, lack of funding, no continuous improvement framework, etc. He is a Certified OKR Coach and loves to share helpful resources and address common organizational challenges to help drive team performance. Read More