5 Tips For Increasing Retail Foot Traffic
While most industries have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, retail has taken one of the hardest hits of all. Although things are mostly back to normal now, many businesses will long be recovering from the financial strain caused by lockdowns and a lack of buyer confidence.
On the plus side, there are plenty of ways to increase foot traffic in your store and drive up your profits, keeping your business thriving and with its head above water. More foot traffic means more of a chance for conversion, so let’s break down some of the many ways you can drive foot traffic to your retail store.
Train your staff to provide better customer service
A surefire way to bring more customers into your store is to train your staff to provide better and more efficient customer service. When customers are in-store, you have an opportunity to provide them with a human experience that you just can’t replicate online.
Having your staff go out of their way to chat with customers, help them with any questions they might have and upsell can go a long way in spreading positive word of mouth and encouraging them to become repeat visitors. After all, walk-in customers spend more money per visit than those who order online, so make the most of this opportunity to really wow everyone who walks into your store.
Create innovative customer experiences
With more competition in the retail space than ever, you need to find a way to stand out from the pack and offer your customers something that they won’t find anywhere else. One way to do this is through creating innovative in-store experiences, such as VIP events, promotions and product launches.
Invite special (but relevant) guest speakers to talk, and make it feel exclusive by requiring reservations or a first in first served guestlist to increase the chances of them turning up. We recommend organising several events throughout the day to keep the customers following for as long as possible.
Have special offers and incentives for customers
It may not be the most creative of ideas, but sales and special offers are one of the best chances you have of enticing more customers to come into your store. After all, who doesn’t love a good deal?
Whether it’s a two for one deal, a storewide discount or something else you’ve got up your sleeve, there’s plenty of ways you can make your goods fly out the doors with the help of some solid discounts and eye-grabbing advertising.
Use retail analytics
Analytics are an important tool for any business. After all, how can you improve what you don’t measure? Analytics can be used to measure the success of your campaigns and initiatives, such as your latest sale or your latest visual merchandising update. Having direct access to these statistics makes it easier to learn from your mistakes and congratulate yourself on your successes, as well as get a better idea of the traffic patterns in your store.
From there, you can adjust your marketing campaigns accordingly and make sure all your hard work isn’t going to waste. There are many easy to use and affordable programs for you to use, and we promise that they’ll be well worth the small investment.
Make the front of your store appealing
The front of your store is the first impression you make to passers by, and can make or break whether they make the journey inside. Whether it’s your signage, window displays, lighting or more, there are countless elements that come into play when designing a strong storefront.
Something to always remember is to keep your windows updated regularly, say every two weeks or so. This will stop them from getting stale and give people something new and exciting to look at. It’s also important to have the right amount of space between products and fixtures, as you don’t want your store to look too cluttered or busy as it can cheapen the perceived value of your goods.
