9 Out of 10 Customers Now Use Online Reviews – How do you Rate in Customer Experience?

We’ve all shopped at convenience stores that made a bad first impression and vowed never to return because of that experience. However, as store operators and managers we often times overlook the very details that matter MOST to our own customer's experience! That’s why it’s important to step back and try to view your store thru the customer's lens... from your customer’s point of view.

Your site will likely only receive 1-10 official mystery shoppers this year, but did you know that every minute Yelp! users post 26,380 reviews?  Your location already has an online reputation through Yelp, Facebook and Google and it only takes between 1 and 3 bad reviews to deter up to 67% of shoppers from using your location. (Source: Vendasta 2017) Without realizing it, customers are evaluating every store they enter from the moment they drive up to your forecourt, use your bathroom, or walk into your store. Worse yet, dissatisfied customers will rarely direct their negative feedback to you, instead they mention it to their friends or post it to their social media accounts on Yelp and Facebook. So how do you keep these customers loyal and returning to your store? One place to start is seeing your c-store through the customer lens and evaluating it the way they do. Create a checklist (or use the one CAF has provided) and score each item from 1 (horrible) to 5 (excellent) for each of the below categories:

According to C-store Yelp reviews the top 5 categories for generating a 5-star experience include:

1. Friendly
2. Fresh Food
3. Clean
4. Low Prices
5. Drink Options