How can you determine a customer's needs, preferences, and expectations?

The correct choice focuses on active listening as a fundamental skill in determining a customer's needs, preferences, and expectations. Active listening involves fully concentrating on what the customer is saying, thereby fostering better communication and understanding. By paying close attention, asking clarifying questions, and reflecting back what the customer shares, a retailer can gather significant insights about their desires and requirements.

This method allows for an in-depth engagement with the customer, as it encourages them to express their thoughts and feelings more openly. This interaction goes beyond surface-level assumptions and taps into the emotional and practical factors that influence customer decision-making.

Other options, such as promotional offers, advertisements, and store layout, may influence customer behavior or attract attention, but they do not serve as direct tools for understanding individual customer needs or preferences in the same intimate way that active listening does. These methods can inform customers about products or deals but do not engage them in meaningful dialogue to explore their specific desires and expectations.