What could cause the number of buyers to fall? Inexplicable, but a fact, or a search for the reasons for the drop in checks. Why is the average check falling?

Retail business these days is akin to a struggle for survival: every day we need to think about how to increase the efficiency of our stores in order to achieve planned indicators, ensure compliance with service standards, operational processes, to win the trust and affection of the client and, ultimately, get a well-deserved profit. One of the key points of this “struggle” is working to achieve the KPI goal, as the main indicators that our actions are correct and the stores are being managed in the right way.

As a rule, most retail managers, among other KPIs, pay special attention to the average number of units per receipt or check fill rate, as one of the main indicators of the store team’s ability to correctly use sales techniques when working with visitors, namely to sell additional products. This publication will discuss one of the successful methods for stimulating the growth of check fill rates, the effectiveness of which has been proven by two years of practice in Puma retail stores.

What might influence the average number of units sold per customer? There are several answers to this question: this is the product range, the company’s pricing policy, the solvency and mood of the client, as well as the availability of promotions and special offers in the store. But what is more important is the effective use of sales techniques by sales personnel when working with visitors. This factor also depends on a number of conditions:

· knowledge of theoretical techniques for offering additional products;

· ability to use them correctly in practical work with clients;

· impeccable knowledge by sellers of their store’s assortment and the ability to competently combine different products to create a complete image;

· motivation of staff to work with additional products;

· Ability to deal with client objections

It would seem that on all these points it is easy to organize work in traditional ways, such as conducting trainings and meetings, monitoring the work of sellers on the sales floor, quickly and timely training of new employees, working as a manager in the store’s sales area as a mentor for his team, personal example showing correct work with customers. And there is no point in disputing the need for these actions - this is, of course, the basis for meeting visitor service standards. But in practice, we very often encounter the fact that despite the significant time spent on training our staff, the above methods do not help achieve the planned value of check fill, both for the store as a whole and for individual employees. Failure to fulfill at least one of the conditions for the effective use of sales techniques can negate other attempts to increase the amount of the check by making a complex purchase.

Thus, a beginner who knows the theoretical foundations of offering related products may encounter a psychological barrier in working with a client in practice. On the other hand, an experienced employee may, for a number of reasons, not want to work 100% with a client due to lack of desire or mood, thereby reducing his personal UPT below the target. The wrong approach to creating a harmonious image from several products can also become an obstacle to a successful transaction.

As practice shows, the lack of a systematic approach to controlling all of these factors is the reason for their occurrence. To fill this gap, you can implement a tool for comprehensive control of check filling - a specific form for recording sales of checks with one item. It may look like this:

The bottom line is that the seller, who has completed a transaction with one unit in the receipt, records the name of the product sold in this printed form in the first column of the table. Next, he must list the related and non-related products offered to the client by him. In the third column, the employee indicates the client’s objections that caused the refusal to purchase additional goods. Finally, in the last column, the seller writes what actions he took to overcome these objections. Immediately after filling out, this form is reviewed with the administrative staff of the store or your mentor, so that the seller is given timely feedback on the past sale.

This scheme of work allows you to simultaneously identify and work on several problems.

Firstly, by looking at the second column of the form, the mentor can make a conclusion about the employee’s ability to correctly select an additional product. As a rule, novice sellers limit themselves to offering one unit of related product, for example, socks for shoes, rather than trying to select a complete look for the client from the available assortment of products. In addition, when examining this sale, the conditions and circumstances under which the seller offered additional units will be considered, which will allow us to discuss possible errors in the work.

Secondly, the mentor, based on the form, evaluates the seller’s ability to work with objections when trying to expand the check. Working on mistakes in this context will allow the employee to develop the skill of correct argumentation when dealing with doubts.

The problem of lack of motivation to offer additional goods, as it turned out, is effectively solved by the emerging need to fill out a form for recording receipts by sellers and conduct a “debriefing” with a mentor. Many employees will be very willing to make every effort when working with a client, just so as not to enter data on a single sale into the form.

The most important thing in using this tool is to ensure control over its completion and timely verification with appropriate feedback. The form can be used in several situations. So, if we need to improve the UPT value of individual lagging employees, we can implement receipt accounting only for these sellers. The duration of filling out the form is limited by the moment they reach the planned check fill values.

Another way to apply this method is to implement full form completion for all salespeople. The need for this may be due to a sharp decrease in the UPT indicator, including for external reasons. Continuous accounting in this case helps to maximally mobilize the entire sales team to obtain the best results from working with customers. But it is worth considering that long-term use of the form will not bring permanent results, and may have the opposite effect of reducing employee motivation. Therefore, in crisis conditions, the longest recommended period for using the form of recording single checks can be limited to one month.

As practice shows, the use of a check accounting form with one item allows you to increase the average number of units in a check by 15-20% within just one or two weeks of its use. In addition to traditional methods of training and control, its use will improve the efficiency of any retail store and use internal resources to maximize check fill rates most effectively.

Yaskov Artem

Head of a group of stores

Russians began to spend less on groceries - the average check in a store reached a two-year minimum, and the July figure decreased by more than 3% compared to June, according to a study by the Romir holding. In Moscow, the average bill was almost 680 rubles, in St. Petersburg - about 640 rubles. The general decline in real incomes of the population played a role - Rosstat reported a fall of almost 5% in July.

As a result, Russians are more likely to make small purchases, says Andrei Karpov, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Retail Market Experts: “The consumer himself, simply put, saves and does not buy unnecessary things. At the same time, yes, he takes less, but he simply reduced the number of trips to hypermarkets, where he bought more, and simply began to go to the store more often. In one purchase, he takes only what he needs. In general, turnover has been falling over the past four years; in the last year there has been some slight dynamics of around 2% - these are extremely insignificant figures. All this suggests that the consumer does not have extra money.”

Over the past two years, consumer preferences have changed greatly: instead of large supermarkets, they choose small convenience stores, said Andrey Vil, deputy director of the Romir holding for communications. “People are leaving hypermarkets, supermarkets, large discounters for convenience stores, so-called traditional trade stores, purchasing goods at points where it was previously unavailable - for example, at gas stations the assortment is constantly expanding, in business centers the number of points that They offer more than just coffee,” he explains. “People are now kind of diversifying their purchases.

If previously they went to large stores and shopped, now they simply shop in many more places.

All categories of citizens, both by age and gender, and by income, are susceptible to this trend - those who have less money can still buy on the go the goods that they previously bought in the supermarket.”

Large retail chains and hypermarkets attract customers with constant promotions: these include discount coupons and gaming formats - for example, collectible cards with images of football players or sets of children's toys that are given for a certain amount in the check.

The share of discounted goods is 20-25% of total sales. And it can hardly be said that buyers have turned away from retail chains and large supermarkets in favor of small stores, says Ivan Fedyakov, general director of the information and analytical agency Infoline: “Large chains, in the conditions of turbulence that the consumer market is experiencing, manage to significantly increase their share of the total sales volume.

There is no talk of ordinary consumers leaving large retail chains.

On the contrary, the consumer has the opportunity to actively save thanks to promotions, which are very active in most large federal chains and often apply to the entire range of everyday goods and food products; if desired, the entire basket can be compiled at discounted prices and thereby save serious money.”

The reduction in the average check is only a seasonal phenomenon, while it is too early to talk about serious changes in the retail market, Alexander Myshinsky, general director of the Real retail chain, is sure: “In the summer there are many more small purchases - drinks, ice cream and something else. And secondly, every year the total receipt per day is being fragmented, that is, people are starting to go not to one store, but to several, choosing goods on promotions.”

The only region where a reverse trend is observed is the North Caucasus Federal District. There the average bill increased by 15%.

Victoria Feofanova

You study the turnover report for the last month and suddenly discover that revenue is sharply declining and the number of receipts is rapidly falling. First of all, having gathered with the directors at a meeting, you try to find reasons, to somehow influence the situation... Find a solution, act according to the approved concept, and the result: the number of checks critically goes into the minus. Catastrophe!

In fact, all ingenious solutions are quite simple, and the law of conservation of energy, which states the truth known to us from school: “nothing comes from nothing and does not disappear without a trace,” has been justifying itself for years.

Step one. Studying competitors

Of course, something could have changed “outside”. Prices and promotions offered by competitors, opening of a new trading platform. It is very important to quickly study the territory of the shalandiz (adjacent to the problematic trading area within a 10-15 minute walk).

It is not enough to only monitor prices; it is important to pay attention to all changes in the external environment. Or maybe competitors offer all visitors a 3% discount, or a gift for a purchase, or they have something that attracts children and housewives like a magnet?

There are many options, and there are no less options for combating someone else’s competitive advantage. But for this fight it is worth studying the enemy well, so as not to waste effort and time fighting with windmills.

The reasons may be the following:

- Price struggle; A method that is disadvantageous to anyone, since it is much easier to lower the price than to raise it later. Hard dumping is the path, first of all, to your own reduction in profits, because competitors will follow your example, and both you and they will begin to lose margins. It is important to monitor prices for “beacon” products such as eggs, sugar, bread, potatoes. No one will keep track of the prices for all the thousands of items in your store, so the discrepancy in the cost of “biscuit” cookies by 20 kopecks is far from critical. But knowing the cost of rated, popular and “beacon” products from competitors is your sacred duty. Unless you want to turn into a discounter or a low-income store with one goal - the lowest prices, discard the idea of ​​deliberate dumping.

- Distribution of elephants; It is no secret that the current mentality of the population, especially the medium (middle income) segment, is simply delighted with all kinds of promotions aimed at receiving a gift. And it doesn’t matter that it may be something no one needs, it’s important that it is given to people for FREE. Can you imagine, my neighbor bought 2 kilograms of washing powder and was given a dispenser scoop as a gift, this is a resonance in the world of housewives! Three out of five of her friends will go to this store for washing powder! It is important to track in time: where and at what time your competitors are handing over “elephants” and make a counterattack!

- Discount; A competing store has opened and is giving discounts to all customers - of course, it needs to attract the population! People rushed towards the villain who was interrupting your trade, and you were tearing your hair out, not knowing what to do in this case. Calm down, we understand perfectly well that the competitor will have to compensate for the losses from the discount, due to a markup, for example, which means that in the future its prices will be higher. And losses in profits, since discounts are distributed uncontrollably, will become noticeable. There is a wonderful counter-argument - your loyalty promotion, in which regular customers can take part. This could be pasting funny chickens for Easter, or “harvesting” for September, and you offer customers the same discount, with a limited time period, participation in which takes place in a playful way, which is especially interesting for those who are regular visitors to your trading platform . This method works for “regulars”, the medium segment, but what to do with the “premium” segment? It's simple: for the so-called VIP buyers there are their own “hooks” that need to be thrown in time. It is important to determine the time and goal, and there are more than enough methods to achieve it.

- Beautiful, big, bright; So they opened, a new competitor - a store twice as large, new shelves, bright price tags. And your trading platform can hardly accommodate a third of the assortment offered by the conquerors of the market space. A massive advertising campaign in the spirit of patriotism is urgently needed: “It’s as cozy as in your own kitchen,” “Everything you need. Quality proven over the years." And then there was a drawing of small gifts among regular customers. Or maybe a discount for all pregnant women and young mothers - if your area is a residential area? Play on your own advantages, on the shortcomings of others, presenting your own as an advantage. People are influenced by opinions, let that opinion come from you.

- Dozens of other reasons; By studying them, you will learn to understand that there are no unsolvable questions. There are issues that you have not noticed before.

People have the ability to get used to things. And often, having become accustomed to one object of shopping, knowing thoroughly where and what is located, it is difficult for them to change their minds. For the most part, people tend to want to be in a familiar and comfortable environment. And if regular customers leave you, it means that something happened that forced them to take this step.

Step two. Exploring yourself

“We are doing well. Competitors, scoundrels, carry out promotions, dump - so the buyers run away” - when I hear this phrase, the sinister devil in my soul is amused. For a long time, humanity has striven to attribute all its shortcomings to anyone, as long as it never admits them. But what if you put aside the desire to seem better and face the truth?

- Inspection of the sales area; Cleanliness and order, location of price tags according to merchandising rules, under each “face” presented on the shelf. For the lack of price tags, I would simply fine the administrator working on shift, and he, in turn, should decide on the issue of finding the culprits. With such a tough but correct approach, the issue of order on the shelves and the presence of price tags would be resolved instantly. After all, not a single share, not a single beautifully designed end can save the trading platform if constant chaos in prices is the norm.

- Those sweet eyes are opposite; Gradually we are starting to move towards a European service system, but the further we get from the capital, the further we are from this system and the concept of “service” as such. Looking at how sweetly and unobtrusively the seller describes to you the advantages of Mazdamer cheese over Radomer, with what zeal and care he cuts off each piece and carefully puts it in a bag - you want to throw yourself on your neck and kiss it, sobbing. Alas, such an impulse does not happen often; for the most part, sellers and cashiers serve you as if you were coming to their house at night and asking them to cut off a piece of cheese carefully stored in their refrigerator. And this contingent of sellers smiles only when they see the looming face of the manager, the owner, on the horizon. Some people, according to the ancient “Soviet training”, normally perceive a rude creature behind the counter. People of a higher level, higher demands, and, as a rule, of no less high income are accustomed to being smiled at and answered warmly. No one demands curtseys and full knowledge of the assortment, although this is a moot point, because we do not sell cast iron bars, which means it would not hurt to carefully study each department salesperson thoroughly about the type of products that he sells. Therefore, if people in your store or supermarket are regularly rude, guess where the buyer will go? Right! All to the same competitors we hate.
Didn't pack the goods? Broke eggs? Did they respond rudely? The security guard searched your bag, mistaking you for a repeat offender, suspecting that while purchasing groceries for 800 UAH, you brazenly stole a pack of Dobry tea? You can be prepared for the fact that these customers will prefer to shop at the store across the street.

And this also happens: you come to a supermarket, and there are wonderful staff there, trained, with high knowledge of the assortment, who have attended service training. You go to the deli counter and that’s it. And here, as in the advertisement “Let the whole world wait!” For the first five minutes you stand at the counter, mentally sending waves to the sellers, as if hinting that you want to buy something. After five minutes, you begin to attract attention to yourself in every possible way, waving your arms, or saying: “Girl! Who's serving here? Invite the seller." After another five minutes, you want to throw a can of canned pineapple at a group of people in uniform crowded in the fish department, so that the minutes of waiting will certainly not be in vain. And here, when patience is running out, SHE emerges from this horde of fellow colleagues - a cookery seller. She walks slowly, like a swan princess floating on the waves. What's the hurry? Just think, buyer. Then she will also put “herring under a fur coat” in the tray for you, so much so that you will stop loving this salad altogether, as such.

What do you think the buyer should do in this case? Do you think he will write in the complaint book? No, he will write there only if all of the above happens on the same day, and that’s not a fact. He will simply leave your store forever.

-You wrote to us; The book of complaints is a good thing, I’ll tell you, especially if someone writes in it! They write, I know that some write, but how many simply don’t get to it, but I would like to!!! How can we find out what is really happening on the trading floor? How can we influence the situation by changing it into a position that is good for us?

a) the complaint book is standard, in an easily accessible place, for some reason the “easily accessible” factor is often missing;

B) a complaint book on the website, with the complaint sent to the email address of the responsible person.

C) a huge sign-stand at the exit from the sales area, or noticeable in the checkout area, saying: “If you are dissatisfied with the service, if there is something that you would like to change in the work of our store (supermarket, trading platform) - all complaints and please send your wishes to our email address...”

Everything ingenious, as I already said, is simple. People will not stir up a scandal by demanding a book and wasting time on graphomania; they are not even sure that they will get to the website of your supermarket chain or store. But they will remember the email (it’s good if the address is duplicated on business cards, information sheets) and will definitely write. It may very well happen that the information sent to you will be extremely useful and will help you find answers to some questions.

- Besides: There is such a service as “Mystery shopping”, which helps to assess the level of training of staff and the trading platform as a whole. And, of course, a survey in the hall - a survey of buyers by promoters.

Once, while working as the head of the marketing department of a supermarket chain, I was faced with a similar question: why do people leave? Why did the number of receipts on this trading platform rapidly begin to decline? I took several sheets of paper and a tablet. I took one of the merchandisers with me, and in a few hours I conducted a survey on the subject: “Are you our regular customer? What would you like to change, perhaps there is something that makes you uncomfortable?” The result surpassed itself. In a couple of hours of questioning, two and a half sheets of “missed” points were identified! (this is in a form reprinted from a pile of information). This includes service, the work of some departments, and even those issues that I have never paid attention to before. If you want to know what worries your customers, ask them about it! - this is the main rule when working with people.

(to be continued…)

Analysis of changes in the average check allows the owner to assess the success of managing the establishment, keep a finger on the pulse of the establishment, and make the necessary management decisions in a timely manner. By analyzing changes in the average check amount, you can get information about whether ongoing marketing campaigns are successful, whether the staff is working effectively, and whether customers are loyal to the establishment. Almost all modern catering automation programs allow you to obtain data on the average bill of an establishment.

How to calculate the average bill in a restaurant?

Very simple. According to one of the most common technologies, the average check is calculated as follows.
Revenue for a certain period must be divided by the number of accounts or guests. This way we will get the average check from the turnover by tables or by guests. For greater objectivity, you should not take into account revenue from banquets, delivery, etc. Only proceeds received in the hall.

Why is the average check falling?

There may be several reasons for the drop in the average check:

1. The waiters don't sell/sell poorly/are poorly trained and can't sell better.
2. Expensive dishes take a long time to prepare; guests are not ready to wait that long.
3. Theft by waiters - some orders are not entered into the program, receipts are not processed.
4. The quality of the cuisine or service, or both, has decreased.
5. The establishment's pricing policy is lame.

How to increase the average check in a restaurant?

• Beverage offer. In many establishments that have a good average bill, waiters offer to order drinks immediately after serving the menu. It’s logical and correct - the drink will brighten up the wait for the main course. It is not necessary to immediately offer only alcohol to all guests. Many guests know stories about bad waiters, whose main task is to immediately get the guests drunk, then feed him any way he can while he’s drunk, and then, of course, cheat him. Offer several drinks to choose from, including non-alcoholic ones. But it is worth remembering that tea and coffee are offered at the end of the meal.

1. It's also worth remembering that guests usually remember the dish or drinks named by the waiter at the beginning and end of the phrase. That is, if a waiter has the task of selling a marginal wine of a certain brand, then when discussing drinks with a guest, he twice names the brand of this particular wine.

But again, the waiter should not be intrusive in his suggestions. When a waiter offers a guest wine for the fifth time, but the guest still doesn’t ripen, this is already obsession. Also, the “choice without choice” move is known to most guests and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. For example, the waiter, without even asking the guest whether he will have alcohol, offers to order their best beer right now or immediately after the main course.

The average spending of the country's residents per visit to a store has decreased for the fifth month in a row. According to the Romir research holding, in August the average check index was 495 rubles. - minus 1 rub. to the July figure. Thus, the index updated its two-year minimum.

“Compared to last year’s value, the average bill decreased even more noticeably - by 4.4%, down from 518 rubles in August 2017,” notes Romira.

The dynamics in specific regions are different: residents of five federal districts began to spend more on going to the store, and in three they reduced expenses. Buyers in the North Caucasus Federal District suffered the most noticeably - minus 9.7% compared to the July check. People spend the least amount of money on a trip to the store in Siberia - 398 rubles, while the amount in August decreased by 2.7%.

Compared to last year, residents of million-plus cities are not increasing their expenses (even Moscow fell by 0.7%), and in cities with a population of 500 thousand to 1 million people, spending per visit to a store has fallen compared to August 2017 by 2.5%.

Buyers began to leave more money in hypermarkets - large stores where food and non-food products are sold. These are mainly regional and federal networks. Hypermarkets became the only type of retail outlets that showed an increase in the average check - by 2.3%, to 758 rubles. But even they lost 7.8% compared to last year.

Discounters were the leaders in reducing the average bill: spending in them decreased by 2.6% - to 331 rubles. The decline in annual terms is 9.3%. The average bill decreased least of all in supermarkets - by 1.6% to 343 rubles.

Industry experts see the fall in household incomes as the main reason for the decline in the average bill. Rosstat will publish data for August 2018 on Wednesday; in July, real incomes fell by almost 5% per month. At the same time, the level.

The size of the check decreased not by 0.2%, but by 1%, the head of the Association of Small and Micro Enterprises in the Tyumen Region shared his assessments Vladimir Panov.

“There is nothing to be surprised. We have a decline in the standard of living of the population, therefore, we see a drop in revenue. The second reason is the onset of federal retail. We are in the Tyumen region. They proposed amending the trade law to consider all federal networks as one trade entity, thereby limiting the monopoly. But the Russian Government came to a conclusion rejecting the initiative. So far, no one has heard us, there is no progress,” he said.

The expert adds that the reduction in the average check hits small retail outlets harder; chain stores compensate for the decline through turnover and the flow of customers.

According to Rosstat, retail trade turnover in monetary terms in July increased by 3.3% per month, since the beginning of the year - only by 2.5%. The share of retail markets and fairs, where products can be purchased at the most affordable prices directly from manufacturers, accounted for only 5.8%. Over the year, the number of official retail markets decreased by 71 units, while at the same time, in 34 regions, the share of network trading structures in the total volume of retail trade turnover exceeded the Russian average level - 33%.

Statistics indicate an increase in the number of retail outlets, notes a member of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for the development of the economy, entrepreneurship, services and the consumer market Andrey Usenko, the trend goes in parallel with the reduction in the cost of the average check.

“There was such a concept as “Kudrin’s scissors” - when one curve goes up and the other goes down. I don’t know whose scissors we can call the situation in trade, but we have a similar picture. Turnover is growing, but also at the level of inflation. All this is quite alarming the situation from the point of view of small businesses, because federal and regional chains have more resources to withstand a difficult situation. When trading costs increase due to the increase in retail outlets, but profitability does not, this threatens regional trading companies and small stores. In the large retail business, a certain bubble is also inflating: the endless increase in the number of retail facilities at some point must develop into quality. And here the question arises: will the chains hold out until this happens, or will they reconsider their strategy,” said the member. OP.

At the same time, the expert confirmed that the reduction in checks was also felt in the Kirov region - Usenko is vice-president of the Vyatka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The check will begin to grow only when Russians feel the “paper” increase in income. In the meantime, the threat of a decline in trade turnover in the near future may result in increased tension in the labor market.

“We must understand that a significant part of the population not only purchases goods in stores, but also works in them. Complicating the situation in such a massive sector of the economy will undoubtedly affect the unemployment rate,” notes Andrei Usenko.