Bass Pro Shops: Customer Experience, Employee Engagement

Bass Pro Shops attract over 60 million visitors per year. Why? For the outdoor enthusiast it is an adventure, an experience on par with kids going to Disneyland.

Each store is designed to reflect the unique fishing and hunting heritage of the region. They don't just have shelves of products for sale. The Bass Pro Shop experience enhances customers' ability to pursue their chosen sport. Take the giant fish tanks found in each store. Each one is stocked with the native species of game fish found in that region, and it is designed to simulate the fish in its natural terrain. The glass sided tanks let fishermen observe their worthy opponents in a way they could never see them in nature. Several times a day one of the guys in the fishing department goes fishing with hookless lures. A crowd always gathers to see how the fish react to the latest piece of tackle.

Bass Pro Shop customers are engaged. And, they exert a lot of effort just to get in the door. It is not uncommon for customers to stay for 3 hours and some commute over two hours just to get there. Customers become immersed in the experience, develop greater interest in their sport and—spend money.

The stores are like a theme park for the outdoors, right down to the unique fixtures and artwork. But there is more to their success than fish tanks and deer antlers. There are the Employees. Don't expect to get hired in the fishing department unless you are an avid fisherman. The same goes for every department.

All floor clerks are involved and passionate about their sport. But, Bass Pro Shop management doesn't stop there. Employees get steep discounts on the products in there department and they are expected to put them into use. In fact, before they get the discount they are required to demonstrate they know how to use the product and know its virtues. The key element is they have to have personal experience using the product in the outdoors. Why? So they can relate to customers.

The store attract customers, the employees get them engaged and their experience in the store and their subsequent experience in the outdoors brings them back time and time again.

And, the employees keep coming back also. Turn over of floor clerks is very low compared to typical retail stores. It is also very low compared to the people who work the cash registers or work in the warehouse. Bass Pro Shop management is working at getting these people more involved in the experience.