When putting the customer experience at the top of your importance list — it’s imperative to realize the lasting effect your branding will have your customers.

A look into branding.

Physical shop branding can be anything really, we’ve all seen it throughout our own personal retail journeys… (think business cards or shopping bags). A way to increase the performance of your branding would be to realize your niche. A great example would be Brick Lane Bookshop giving away a bookmark with every purchase, or creating postcards with their shopfront as the art.

Get your brand exposure through your customers.

Another great way to have your customers share your brand is by providing bags. Plastic bags may be more economical, but tote bags (even as a part of a promotion to save on cost) have been proven to be an amazing marketing tool as they are reused for years before needing to be replaced. As you can see on this Instagram post from London Review Bookshop some people even go as far as to collect totes from their favourite shops!

Putting your logo front and center or creating an eye-catching design will help people remember your shop and associate it with the warm fuzzies of a positive interaction. It really can be the difference between being forgotten and being an unmistakable brand.

People love freebies.

For instance, this particular NearSt purchase through Make Me Feel Pharmacie created a lasting impression on the customer, enough so that they wanted to share their positive experience.

In short, branding can be complicated or simple.

Depending on budget, there’s quite a few options you could go with (Think stickers or business cards — like Treohans — attached to purchases if branded bags are too much.)

One thing is for certain, these small touches (like this map & free gift from Natural For Baby) you may have thought to overlook really do add exponentially to your customer’s overall experience.

Inspired? Want to know more? Visit Near.st or get in touch with us on hello@near.st — Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter!