Banks have traditionally done it. Restaurants invariably do it. Grocery stores are starting to do more of it. Even high-brow retailers are doing it.

Whether it’s lollipops at the bank teller’s window or the after-dinner mint bowl at the local restaurant, many retailers have long offered their customers a small treat. What’s different now is that the movement toward providing consumers with snacks while they shop is expanding.

Some merchants might be inclined to resist, arguing that they are not in the food industry, so why bother? As it turns out, savvy retailers have learned there are several significant reasons for taking this relatively modest step—and they yield some pretty weighty benefits.

Embracing the Experience Economy

It’s nearly impossible for a retailer of any size to not be bombarded with headlines about how digital technologies are transforming the way customers shop. Connecting your clientele to a satisfying shopping experience is an expected part of the retail landscape. There are, of course, many dimensions of the shopping journey, but a crucial segment—one that can lead to higher conversion and repeat customers—is reinforcing a positive experience. And it doesn’t always require expensive technology to implement.

For instance, many retailers now offer their customers a free cup of coffee or tea when arriving in the store. Why? Because it is inviting. It welcomes patrons and reassures them that it’s quite fine to linger and browse and ask questions. Just a single, small beverage has the ability to powerfully transform relationships from a mundane walk through an aisle to an engaging journey that is personalized.

Personalization Doesn’t Need to be Expensive

It’s a shopper’s market. Today’s consumers are tech-driven and knowledgeable. They are accustomed to researching product prices and reviews prior to purchase. With 100% transparency available to virtually any customer, how you differentiate yourself from the competition is one potent determinant of how your receipts will stack up.

The main avenue to differentiation remains the customer experience. While millions of dollars are being spent on figuring out how to capitalize on omnichannel and predictive marketing approaches, there is no substitute for the personal touch—something that seems to get lost in this larger, noisier discussion around shopper personalization. It’s impossible to overstate the obvious: that focusing on the fundamentals of excellent customer service—and experience—is a reliable strategy to boosting revenues.

One way to consider the opportunity is like this: the internet has merely intensified the abiding requirement to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Since today’s shoppers can go to many of your competitors to buy the same item, what reason are you going to give them to purchase from you?

Building Loyalty

Retailers understand the value of building customer loyalty, but often struggle with figuring out ways to capture it. Building solid rapport with your shoppers can depend upon all aspects of the shoppers’ journey dancing together seamlessly. Many merchants invest huge chunks of time and money in technologies upon which they rely to help iron out the wrinkles of their retail operations.

But what if something as simple and inexpensive as strategically placing a candy bowl at the register or offering a customer some chilled water had the power to single-handedly capture your customers’ loyalty? Whether you offer treats for sale or gratuitously—or a combination of both—you are providing your shoppers with an entirely different level of attention and service that demonstrates you care.

What you offer is not necessarily important, since customers likely won’t remember what they had to eat or drink while in your store. What’s important is that you are forging a connection and that is what your customers are going to remember: that they felt unique and valued.

Proven ROI

Costco is one brand very well known for its generous sample offerings. True, it is in the food industry, but consider this: sampling food items has resulted in an increase in sales by as much as 2000 percent—and food is not the only item they sell. Most shoppers are on the run to work, pick up kids, events or wherever life demands they be. When they arrive in your store you are presented with an authentic privilege to create a personalized experience that will bring them back or risk losing them for good.

By investing just a few extra dollars in some snacks and beverages to enhance your customers’ comfort, you can quickly maximize the opportunities to convert a random shopper into a loyal patron. Keep in mind that by converting one shopper, you are not just adding one repeat customer, but also all of the potential customers who are referred by that single shopper.

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