Nationwide bridal store chain Alfred Angelo abruptly closed up shop recently, giving customers almost no notice and leaving brides who had already paid for dresses scrambling to pick up their purchases or find replacements.
Some brides drove hours to pick up their dresses at stores, having only a couple hours notice after reading of the impending store closings online. Employees also started packing up some dresses to ship out to customers. But many remain uncertain about the status of their purchases.
Hopefully, your small business doesn’t have to worry about closing up shop anytime soon. But whether you’re going through a major change like a store closing or a smaller one like maybe a remodel or change in suppliers, it’s important to consider how those changes might impact your customers.
In this case, brides-to-be who have spent thousands on their dresses and counted on those purchases to be ready for their big day were left scrambling, some still unsure about whether or not they’d actually get their purchases. Those customers were depending on the business to deliver on its promise of providing their dresses. And even for those who were able to go and pick up their purchases, the last-minute nature of the announcement made life a lot more difficult.
Always Consider the Customer Impact of Change
So the next time you’re considering a change for your business, carefully consider how that change might impact your customers. If a change of suppliers means they’ll have to wait longer to receive purchases they need right away, it might not be worth it. Or at least you may need to give customers plenty of notice and work with them so they can get their products as quickly as possible.
Crying Bride Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “Lesson From Bridal Chain Closing: Always Remember Your Customers” was first published on Small Business Trends