ATLANTA – Creating a memorable experience for customers is not a simple task. It covers a lot of territory, from differentiating your space to offering genuine hospitality to developing a design that is intuitive to customers. Experts from three sectors shared their thoughts on retail priorities Thursday during “Delivering a Great Shopping Experience.”

A positive experience does not have to focus on something new. Developing strategies to make mature products and facilities appealing is important for every retailer, said Jeramy Quart, director of food and beverage for Mapco Express.

“A great customer experience in the store is important. It touches every facet of your business. It is your facility, your operations, your training. It is who you are as a brand and how much of that brand is part of your culture,” Quart said. “It is cyclical. Great companies use the brand as a filter for making their decisions. Merchandising is a great place to start. It is what the guest is looking for, it is why they came in the store.”

It is important to differentiate your space and offer a strong product. Key factors to remember in developing a merchandising plan are to:

• Identify the qualities of products your guests are seeing
• Explore how your competitors excel within the category
• Commit to a plan that delivers

“The takeaway is that all mature categories require investment,” Quart said. “But consumers still demand innovation. Few legacy products can endure the test of time, so you need to tell your guests what is new. Your competitors will not let your investment grow organically.”

Another important factor in the experience is creating a positive atmosphere, said Mark Moraitakis, senior director of hospitality and service design for Chick-fil-A. Despite its successful marketing campaign using cows to push meals featuring chicken, Chic-fil-A hangs its hat on genuine hospitality.

“We want to be the world’s largest school of etiquette,” Moraitakis said. “When people entrust their child with us or enter the relationship post-college, we want to equip them with skills they will take with us for the rest of their lives.”

The focus in creating that atmosphere is to teach the art of welcoming customers, and then following up. Chick-fil-A has established a curriculum to teach its Core 4 concepts:

• Create eye contact
• Share a smile
• Speak with enthusiasm 
• Stay connected

Also helping to create a great experience is a store with an intuitive design, said Bruce Barteldt, senior partner and retail global practice leader for Little’s Retail Practice. Little works with a variety of clients in various areas of retail, but sees common aspects across its spectrum of projects.

“Design drives customer experience, and customer experience drives brand loyalty. You have to understand how your brand connects with the customer,” Barteldt said.

Key aspects of intuitive design are to develop a visual hierarchy that has clarity.

“Sometimes merchandising is fighting for your attention. If you think about signage as a solution, you are in trouble,” Barteldt said. “Think about customer intuition. It puts the customer at ease.”