Dying breed or bucking the trend?

There is no doubt that more and more today customers are looking for a ‘buying experience’. Offering standard ‘vanilla’ no longer cuts the mustard!

We live in the digital age where just about everything you could ever imagine is available at the click of a button. Not only is it now more convenient to get the things we want and need, but is in most cases cheaper.

We live in a world where we could work and live without ever leaving our homes. In order for businesses who don’t offer their products and services online to successful compete, they need to be giving more, they need to be offering the customer added value, they need to be providing an experience!

For those of us in our mid-thirties and older, we will remember the days of walking into the local video store to rent a movie for the evening. Yes, that’s right we would get in our cars, drive a few blocks down the road, spend probably 30 minutes browsing tens of DVD covers trying to make a choice, then drive back home to watch the move. Let’s not forget that we had to return the DVD by 12 noon the following day or face penalty fees.

In 2008 there were 56 Video Ezy stores in WA, today there are just 6. Blockbuster Video has over 370 video stores across the country, today there are 16 with only 3 in WA. The introduction of digital TV and subscription services like Netflix and Stan has devastated the rental industry.

9 News Perth recently aired a story titled ‘Video Revival’, which told the story of Video Ezy Spearwood owner Matthew Rolfe, who decided to buck the trend by diversify. His store now offers collectables and movie merchandise for just about every movie ever released.

Visiting the Spearwood Video Ezy is no longer about choosing a movie for date night or to keep the kids entertained, it is about stepping into the world of movies. The collectables and merchandise allow customers to take part of the movie home with them.

Although the digital world has brought convenience, lower prices and wider choice, it can’t offer you a buying experience. As humans we have an inherent need to use all five of our senses and the more of our senses we engage the greater the level of satisfaction.

Steve Jobs once said:

“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back to the technology – not the other way around.”

Steve Jobs quote could be remixed into something like:

“You’ve got to start with the buying experience and work back to the revenue – not the other way around.”

The buying experience includes the entire process that the buyer engages in as they move from status quo to purchase. The status quo represents what the buyer is doing before they embark on the buying experience, while purchase represents the final step that moves someone from buyer to customer.

That experience consists of different elements from the buyer’s psychology, to the information they consume, to the interactions they have, during the buying process.

None of these elements is more important than the buyer’s psychology and emotions – their desires, needs, wants, and fears. This psychology governs much of what the buyer will experience.

It is really simply then, businesses that can offer the greatest buying experience will win the customer.

Just as we encourage all of our readers to go away and ensure they create complete buying experience for their customers, here at Auction Services Australia we are continuously working towards not only creating but also continuously improving the buying experience for our customers.

Working together with real estate agents we want to ensure that the auction method of sale is not only a great experience for the agent but also for the sellers and buyers.

From our professional booking agent, informative website, legally approved documentation, personal mentoring right through to our unique 5 Stage Selling Strategy and FREE coffee at all our auctions, Auction Services Australia want to create an experience beyond expectation for our clients of both cash unconditional and subject to finance auctions!