By
Bob Phibbs
Updated September 27, 2024
The first few seconds of a customer’s visit to a retail store are critical to setting the tone for their entire shopping experience. Too often, store associates miss this opportunity to create a lasting impression because they’re distracted or unsure how to engage. Yet, in these initial moments, the foundation of trust and connection is built—decisive factors that can lead to either a successful sale or a missed opportunity.
Is your team equipped with the knowledge to warmly greet customers? Do your employees know how to greet customers the right way? If not, you could miss out on potential sales and repeat customers. You must express a warm welcome when customers arrive at your store, making them feel at ease.
Your greeting makes the difference. When a customer enters your brick-and-mortar store, it should feel like you’re welcoming a friend into your home.
Why greeting customers is essential
I remember once walking into a Walgreens in Minneapolis. A pleasant young woman behind the counter looked at me and said, “Welcome to Walgreens.”
I nodded, thanked her, and went on my hunt for Sudafed.
Afterward, I walked into Nordstrom and couldn’t get greeted — not a word from anyone — and I was there for 15 minutes.
Regarding customer service techniques, what makes the difference between customers wanting to buy and leaving or wanting to browse and wanting to take something home?
It's how you greet customers.
What are those first precious moments like for your customers?
What do they notice as they get their bearings and focus on shopping?
If your store is like most, one thing those customers won’t notice is a helpful salesperson.
They won’t notice because the customer is busy on their own trip.
The customer is busy looking around, taking in the environment, the products, the prices, the store layout, and more. They’re trying to decide what to buy, if anything. The customer controls their shopping experience, and they easily overlook friendly and helpful salespeople.
That’s why it’s so important for stores to take the initiative and greet customers with a warm, genuine welcome. This small gesture can make a big difference, showing customers that you are truly interested in their shopping experience and willing to help them.
Greeting customers with a smile, a hello, and an offer of assistance can go a long way. It’s also a great way to start a conversation, leading to a deeper connection with the customer and potential sales.
Greeting customers the right way and in a natural manner gives them a sense of comfort, and it can even make them more likely to return to your store in the future. Yet employees will feel that just saying “Good morning” to someone is pushy, so they avoid the very people who, in effect, pay their salaries!
To help employees engage shoppers, you can provide them with guidelines for approaching customers. For example, you can explain that greeting customers is not pushy but rather a sign of respect. Encourage your staff to start conversations with customers to build relationships and to offer assistance when needed.
By setting an example and reinforcing good habits, you can help create an environment where customers feel comfortable and respected. Ultimately, this will lead to more sales and increased customer loyalty.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a luxury flagship, a tiny retail chain, or the corner boutique...
Whatever they’re doing, if they’re not practicing how to greet customers, they’re not helping your bottom line.
Far too often, sales floors become a playground for poorly trained salespeople engaged in a game of hide-and-seek with your customers. Those associates might be grouped behind the counter, behind a display, or increasingly, texting on their smartphones.
They are there for each other, but not to greet the customer.
When a customer walks into your store and nobody offers to help them, it’s natural for that shopper to assume that nobody wants to help them.
Six professional sales greeting rules
Shoppers come to your retail store to seek an experience — the product they purchase is just a souvenir.
So, how you greet your customers matters. It’s the critical first impression and can make or break your retail store’s success. A warm, welcoming greeting sets the tone for their entire visit, making them feel valued and more likely to engage with your store.
Elevate your customer’s experience and improve your retail ROI with these six proven ways to greet customers.
1. Greet customers politely and positively
A positive customer experience starts with a positive greeting. Be polite but also warm. Show a genuine interest in your customer. When greeting shoppers, remember always to do the following:
Smile
Smiling improves not only your mood but also the mood of your customer. Plus, smiling shows you’re approachable and likable — two crucial traits of a successful salesperson.
Give your undivided attention.
Stop what you’re doing so you can fully engage with the shopper. Your customers instantly sense that you care, and when you’re good at listening to them, you’ll also pick up important information that will help you close the sale easily.
Make eye contact
Eye contact is a sign of a good listener. It builds trust and connection and can change people's perceptions of you.
2. Learn the difference between meeting and greeting
A simple Hi isn’t enough. Millions of people walk past the Walmart greeters daily, ignoring their welcome. Why?
Because those greeters don’t evoke any feelings of helpfulness, we know they’re just standing there as part of a marketing scheme to give the illusion of helpfulness.
Such greeters don’t feel genuine.
How ARE you today?
How’s it goin’?
Let me know if you need help.
I hate that crap!
The greeting must be genuine for shoppers to feel the employee’s helpfulness and welcome. This true desire to help often starts with the right retail customer service training.
3. Express an attitude of both hospitality and assistance
When you express both hospitality and assistance, the customer receives a welcome and a face with a name.
The customer starts to feel they’ll receive the help and service they crave so much that they put down their smartphones and trek into your retail business.
This immediately puts them at ease and builds the necessary rapport for an exceptional buying experience.
4. Remember that timing is everything
So, how soon should you approach a shopper who has just entered your store?
Sometimes, give the shopper enough time to get through the door, arrange their belongings, and scan the sales floor. Fifteen seconds works in most situations.
If you approach them before they get their bearings and decompress from traffic and their hectic lives, you could be seen as an overbearing, needy obstacle that makes shopping a chore.
They may be running through a list in their head, putting their car keys in their purse, or just trying to get the lay of the land. Interrupting that process and demanding a response to some of the lame questions above can make you an instant nuisance and cost you a sale.
Why?
Because when you force a stranger to be polite — phony, really — you have effectively shut them down.
But if you wait too long, the shopper looking for a friendly greeting may feel ignored and somewhat aggravated. That’s why it’s crucial to know how to greet customers.
5. Introduce, don't impose
The greeting is your chance to make a positive impression and set the tone for the buying experience. Maybe the customer doesn’t want your help right away, and that’s fine. They’ll remember that you offered help and were available to them.
A genuine, friendly greeting makes customers feel acknowledged without pressure, encouraging them to browse comfortably.
Stay attentive, but give them space—your presence should feel supportive, not overbearing. This balance helps build trust, allowing them to approach you when ready and increasing the likelihood of converting that visit into a sale.
You don’t need to stalk them. Just welcome them with an open heart.
6. Avoid questions that can get "no" as an answer
When you ask, “Can I help you?” the gag reflex takes over, and the customer automatically says, “No.”
Now, the shopper has browsing (not buying) on their mind — even if they originally came to your store to make a purchase.
“No” also closes the door to further communication. It’s challenging to engage with a customer who has decided they don’t want or need your help, and it’s frustrating for your employees who just want to make a sale.
Don’t let thoughtless questions derail your sales process. Instead, choose natural greetings that engage the shopper without bothering them. Here are some retail employee training tips for doing exactly that. And there are a couple of greetings to be aware of, the first when someone comes into the store and the second when you’ve given them time to look around.
Customer greeting examples
Look closer at the greeting: "Can I help you?"
It's probably the most common retail greeting; on the surface, it sounds like an acceptable way to politely and positively greet customers.
The only problem? As discussed above, this question inevitably elicits the response: "No thanks, I’m just looking."
To avoid this dilemma, after a visitor has settled into your store and you’ve greeted them with, Good (time of day), set the stage for a sale with these additional customer greeting examples:
"Have you been here before?"
When you ask questions, you show your customers you care.
Even better? Michael Gerber, the author of The E-myth, found companies increased sales by 10 to 16% with this specific greeting (but you have to have a great memory).
"Good morning (name), welcome back!"
Show your customers you remember them and value their repeat business. A personalized greeting is always best (we all love to hear our names).
If your staff struggles to remember names, they can still show recognition with a friendly: "Nice to see you again."
Give a genuine compliment.
The secret to greeting customers with a compliment is to make it specific and relevant to your business. Otherwise, you might come off as sleazy or insincere.
Let's say you own a women's fashion boutique. After initially greeting her with Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, you could greet a shopper by saying: "I love your floral dress. It's so bright and cheerful."
The idea is to initiate a two-way conversation and avoid small-talk greetings easily answered with a "yes" or "no."
Each shopper is unique, so how to greet customers in retail stores will vary based on individual personalities. Practice a few different ways to greet customers, and don't be afraid to come up with your own warm welcomes after your initial greeting of Good (time of day).
The difference between we’ll see, and we’ll take it
Even in the internet age, politicians still shake thousands of hands during a campaign. Why? Because they know that a simple meeting can change a person’s outlook and turn them into customers.
Greeting your customers with a slight delay and the expectation that they will be nice to you, along with just the word "Good" (and the time of day or night), can make all the difference between "We’ll see" and "We'll take it."
