Increasing foot traffic is one of the essential strategies to improve offline business performance, whether you’re a new retailer, a seasoned retailer, or an experienced merchant merely looking to raise sales.
According to a May 2019 research published in the Journal of Consumer Research, customers who purchase in-store spend more. With this, Forbes adds: “Emotion influences the way people buy. In-store purchasing has a human component, and customers seek that emotional experience.”
How do you plan to increase your store’s foot traffic in the coming days, weeks, months, and years? Here are seven helpful hints on how contemporary retailers may define their audience and better engage their customers boosting the number of times they visit their businesses.
Signage is one of the first things customers see when they enter a shop. A shop’s sign visually represents the brand and entices customers inside the establishment. If running a brick-and-mortar store, you must ensure that your external signage is appropriately displayed. Customers unable to read the store’s signs may be dissatisfied or confused.
In-store signage must encourage customers to acquire things by highlighting the advantages of a product or service or by announcing discounts and specials; in other words, these displays must have strong calls to action. Visually attractive window displays may increase foot traffic by showing the newest items or styles, enticing consumers. Firms must employ signage to assist prospective customers in in-store transactions, even if it’s not a new strategy.
Regarding influencer marketing, it’s not just about getting more product evaluations on social media for e-commerce companies. Invite influencers into your offline business and reap the benefits of their popularity. Please call to know them, show them around, and give them plenty of chances to shoot pictures.
To get people into your business, provide a substantial discount or reward them for their loyalty. However, these in-store discounts do not have to be monetary. For example, you might give a hands-on demo of your product to show it off to potential customers. You can use an email with a discount to spread the news about your business. You may also use social media or text messaging to promote a limited-time deal.
Engaging customers and driving foot traffic to your shop are made possible by social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Customers most devoted to a company are likely to be already following them on social media because they want to learn more about them and be kept up to date on any upcoming updates.
Retailers may compete with their consumers and give out in-store incentives through social media. As an added perk, they may entice them to write product or service evaluations in exchange for special in-store prizes.
- Optimize your staff schedule
Staff is critical in bringing in repeat business and turning visitors into paying clients. As a result, you must maintain a sufficient number of employees at your shop. Do your best to ensure that there is never too few staff working on the sales floor, should someone feel forgotten.
A foot traffic analytics system is the most effective tool for determining the peaks and troughs of foot traffic. As soon as you know your store’s peak hours, you can plan your shifts around them.
- Have a presence on the internet
People are spending more time on the internet, whether you like it or not. It means you either whine about how the internet pushes customers away from traditional businesses or utilize it to your benefit. You can consider having an online store. Create an online storefront where customers may go through your offerings and make purchases. Doing so increases the chances of making a sale, your brand’s visibility, and the number of people visiting your store.
- Increase customer traffic in your neighborhood by partnering with your local community
For retailers, maintaining a business may be a juggling act, especially when considering the competitive nature of the retail industry. However, don’t forget to keep an eye on your target audience, especially the people in your neighborhood. Increasing your client base may be as simple as engaging in neighborhood activities, holding events with a local flavor, and networking outside regular business hours.
In the foreseeable future, e-commerce will continue to expand at an astronomical rate. As a result, it affects both online and physical sales. Brick and mortar retail isn’t dead, but it is undergoing an exciting and dramatic shift. Remember that if you don’t turn your foot traffic into paying clients, your marketing efforts will have been for nothing.
