Retail Storytelling – An Art of Building a More Human Brand Stories that form an emotional connect with the customer are remembered for a long time.
By Lisa Mukhedkar •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
A form of human expression and communication, storytelling, is as old as humanity itself. We are in the constant pursuit of finding a great story or doing something that will create one. If a brand can tell a great story, then it will be remembered for it. Retail storytelling is one of the most critical factors in creating a great experience for the customer. Stories that form an emotional connect with the customer are remembered for a long time.
Storytelling makes the brand more human and relevant to its customer. It helps the brand form a deeper and lasting connect with the customer. Disseminating information as facts will just make the brand seem cold and the communication futile.
Attract customer's attention – A great place to start your offline storytelling is the window display. The first point of non-digital interaction of the brand with the customer comes through the window display. Window displays are a great way for the brands to create the right amount of curiosity in the customer that makes them enter the store.
Make information more memorable - Storytelling is based on the idea that people remember information better when it is told as a story rather than presented with a list of facts. The higher the connect, the greater the experience.
Make people aware of your brand – Storytelling helps brands achieve that iconic element of recall among the customers. Brands that immerse the customer in their story are more memorable and profitable.
Humanize the brand – Storytelling gives your brand a voice and moves it away from the image of a retail entity. The personality makes the brand more human and allows the customer to connect with the brand on a more personal level.
Educate the customers – Facts might tend to overwhelm the customer, hence imparting information through a storytelling format will help get the point across.
Engage customers – Storytelling makes the customers feel a part of the brand and hence inspiring them to the next step in the retail journey becomes a natural course of progression.
Build Customer Loyalty – Storytelling helps in building a trusting relationship with the customer. The idea is to convert a customer into your brand advocate. The more brand advocates you have, the more your reach increases, which has a direct effect on the sales.
I have always believed that creating an experience through storytelling plays a crucial part in transforming the brand to a lifestyle choice. Storytelling from brands makes the customers aspire to higher standards. It generates a sense of belonging in the customer and makes him/her feel that they are a part of something big and important.
When customers discover a good story, they will want to share it with their friends, become a part of it, fight for its cause and make them want to buy.
