Years ago, most bookstores I visited were cramped and stuffy, offering an atmosphere that was akin to a library basement. Do you remember signs on the magazine racks that asked you to refrain from reading a magazine unless you intended to buy it?

Enter Barnes & Noble.

Now not only can you thumb through a magazine at a Barnes & Noble bookstore, but you can sit down on a couch and read it cover-to-cover if you like - even if you don't plan to purchase anything. In fact, as the nation's second largest coffeehouse, Barnes & Noble actually invites you to read a new book or magazine over refreshments. Selling nearly half a billion books a year, Barnes & Noble nailed the recipe for creating a solid book-buying experience. Customers enjoy visiting the stores and, as a result, they sell a lot of books.

And a lot of coffee, too.

Today, offering quality products at a fair price isn't enough. Quality and price are becoming commoditized product attributes. As such, a company can still differentiate itself in the marketplace by offering its customers a positive buying experience that is difficult for competitors to duplicate.

Most companies believe that they are doing this. But a recent Bain & Co. study shows that while 80 percent of firms believe they offer a superior experience to their customers, only 8 percent of firms had customers who agreed. As a result, there is a huge opportunity for differentiation and for securing a competitive advantage.

To enhance your customers' buying experience, you will want to consider all facets of the experience from beginning to end. To implement a simple "customer service" gimmick at one point of the customer experience will lead to disappointing results. You and your employees (who must have the tools and authority needed to create a positive experience for customers) will need to adopt a new mindset, one that cultivates and nourishes the loyal customer.

Before you get too far ahead of yourself, make sure you are covering the basics of your customer's buying experience. Ask yourself questions similar to the following:

• Is it easy to find what I need (think store layout or online navigation)?
• Is the actual buying process painless, even enjoyable?
• Are the employees knowledgable, sincere and friendly?
• Does the product work as expected, and if it doesn't, what will be done about it?
• Would I rather buy here than at Store X?

Once you have mastered the basics, then you can begin to get creative to enhance the experience for your customers. You will want to pay particular attention to implementing tactics that can help you bond emotionally with your customers. Once those bonds have been created, it is difficult for a competitor to sever them.

For example, I think it would be difficult to convince the owner of a Harley-Davidson to trade it in for a Honda Shadow, especially if the owner has bonded with Harley to the point of tattooing its logo on his or her body.

Creating a customer experience that is second to none will pay huge dividends. With some creativity and hard work, you can create customers who will do business with you just because they love the experience.