Just a Little Better

Competitive advantage is very important in business. It is what sets your business apart from your competitors. That extra something that draws customers in to your business instead of someone else's. How much better do you have to be? It depends, but in most cases the difference can be very slight. Today we're going to share some simple tips to help you gain a competitive advantage. Need an inventory solution? Try Stockpile inventory management software.

1. Price. Many businesses go the route of slashing prices. Offering the same product or service for a lower price will encourage customers to come to you, but it can be hard to remain profitable if you are underpricing your product or service. There's often a fine line between a thin profit margin and taking a loss.
2. Customer service. If you offer the same product or service as your competitors and can't undercut their prices, you'll need to find an advantage elsewhere. Providing superior customer service can make a huge difference. Customers like to frequent businesses that make the shopping process easy and even fun. If you can make visiting your business an enjoyable experience, your customers will gladly keep coming back.
3. Atmosphere. This goes along with our tip above. If your business is inviting people will look forward to stopping in. Keep aisles clear and easy to navigate. Clearly mark areas so that customers can find what they're looking for. When possible create fun, creative displays to capture your customers's attention. They may not realize how important these little touches are, but they will definitely appreciate them.
4. Value Add. Can you add additional value by offering a discounted product or service as an add-on? Everyone likes to feel as though they got a good deal. You may not be able to offer a free item, but even a heavily discounted one can seem like a real bargain. Anytime your customers feel like they got more for their money you've created a positive association with your business.
5. Follow up. Most businesses are very attentive when they are trying to make a sale but very few follow up after they get your money. Be the business that follows up with your customers after the sale to make sure that they're satisfied with their purchase. If not, you'll have a chance to make things right before they complain. Even if they're thrilled with their purchase they'll be impressed that you cared enough, and took the time, to follow up with them. With any luck they'll tell their friends and you'll suddenly be swimming in referral business.

Want to Be Better? Try Stockpile Inventory Management Software

Competitive advantage is critical to your business success. Often it can seem like finding that thing that will set you apart is going to be too hard or too expensive. We hope the tips above have given you some inexpensive, easy ideas that you can use. Another great way to find competitive advantage is by having a better handle on your inventory issues. When you are struggling with inventory issues it costs you time, money and increases your overall stress level. Lucky for you, there's Stockpile. Stockpile inventory management software makes it easy to track inventory within a single location or across multiple locations. Adding item records is quick and easy. Stockpile is fully customizable so you choose which fields to include in your records. This means you'll always have access to the details that are important to you. Thanks to areas and locations you can be very specific about where items are located. No more misplaced items simply because you forgot where you put them. Plus, Stockpile inventory management software is mobile compatible so you don't have to be in the office to keep an eye on your inventory. You can pull up inventory data on your mobile device anytime from anywhere. Need to run reports? Stockpile makes that easy, too. Just a few clicks and you can get an overview of your inventory. When you can take the headache out of inventory management you'll have more time, money and energy to focus on other aspects of your business. That might just be all the competitive advantage that you need. Try Stockpile today!