300 Seconds: After Hours

Today we’re going to spend 300 seconds getting into the minds of our customers… after hours.

After you close your doors for the evening, customers still have access to your store through a variety of portals.

  1. Answering machine. Listen to your outgoing message. What does it say? Thanks for calling? We’re sorry we missed you during store hours. Do you send them to your website or Facebook page for more information? Do you encourage them to leave a message, with the caveat that the call will be returned the next open day?
  2. Website. Browse your site as if you were a customer looking for a book, for a book club, for storytime, for an upcoming event, for a job application, or for anything else I couldn’t recall. Can they navigate your site and find what they seek?
  3. Physical store. I know you’re closed. But your windows are probably open. What can customers see while looking through your windows at night? Something tempting? (What might thieves see?)

You might have set hours when you staff the store. But during these 300 seconds, remember that you’re always open.

Beth Golay

Beth is a reader, writer, marketer and Books & Whatnot founder. Even though she knows better, she's a sucker for a good book cover and will positively swoon if a book is set in appropriate type. @BethGolay