The rise of e-commerce businesses has made it easy for consumers to shop from the comfort of their homes. From groceries and medicines to clothes and furniture – you can use the internet to order just about anything and get it delivered right to your doorstep.
While the online shopping industry had been growing for many years, the COVID-19 pandemic further escalated its rise. Although this is great news for modern consumers, it’s become particularly worrying for retail store owners.
Across the globe, brick-and-mortar retailers have been struggling to increase in-store foot traffic. Attracting customers to retail stores has become even more challenging, with social distancing and quarantine becoming the buzzwords of the “new normal.”
But if you’re a retailer, it doesn’t mean you should pack your store and call it a day. Many consumers still find it easier to place their trust in a physical storefront. Also, when it comes to returning or exchanging their orders, customers would still rather go to an actual store.
So, if you’re a struggling retailer, you just need to find creative ways to reinforce your brand and attract foot traffic to your store. In this blog, we’ve outlined a few powerful strategies to get more customers to your retail store. Let’s get started.
1. Focus on Consistent Branding
One of the most effective ways of grabbing eyeballs and attracting customers to your store is to use eye-catching signages. If you’re running a retail store, chances are you already have signage at the storefront that displays your brand name and logo. But you shouldn’t limit it to just the store.
If your store is situated inside a shopping mall, make sure you place a totem sign or banner outside the mall to improve brand awareness. This is particularly crucial if you’re running seasonal discounts or organizing a live event.
Instead of asking your staff to design and distribute flyers, it’s wiser to hire professional sign makers to create and install show-worthy signages for your store. Make sure you discuss your marketing goals and expectations with the sign makers before selecting the type and design of signage you want.
Apart from the storefront, it’s also essential to boost your brand’s online presence and reputation. Start by creating a website and claiming your Google My Business listing. Also, make sure you create branded profiles and pages on various social media platforms to promote your store.
2. Embrace Modern Technology
Here’s the thing – your target consumers will only visit your store when you offer an exclusive shopping experience that they can’t find online. In other words, you need to delight store visitors by leveraging cutting-edge technology to provide an immersive customer experience.
From smart dressing rooms to digital product catalogs – there are various ways to give a modern spin to your storefront. The most common way of doing this is to install iPad kiosks throughout your store. They can be used by customers to browse products, place orders, and make payments.
Likewise, you can use AR (augmented reality)-powered solutions to let customers visualize how a specific product would look in their living space. Or you can let them virtually check out different accessories to match an outfit they’ve just bought.
3. Collect Customer Data
When you’re running an online store, it’s easier to monitor customer behavior and purchase history. You know precisely when and what your customers are more likely to buy. This, in turn, makes it easier for you to optimize your marketing campaigns and leverage upsell opportunities.
Most retailers don’t prioritize collecting data on customer behavior when it comes to a brick-and-mortar store. Of course, it’s more difficult than monitoring parameters, such as the click-through rate, time-on-site, bounce rate, etc.
Knowing how the visitors behave can go a long way to help you optimize various aspects of your store, including its layout and product displays. A simple way of doing this is to start a loyalty program to collect your customers’ contact details.
You can also send them online surveys and questionnaires via email to learn more about their likes and preferences. You can use this information to send personalized discounts and product recommendations, thus compelling them to return to your store.
Another clever tactic is to monitor the security camera footage in your store to find the peak hours and days when you receive maximum footfall. It’ll help you get the timing of in-store events and sales right. Also, you can optimize staffing and brainstorm ways to increase footfall during off-peak hours.
Apart from these techniques, you should harness the potential of social media to create a buzz about your store. You could also consider diversifying your offerings to conduct relevant workshops and classes for customers. Another great way of increasing dwell time and foot traffic is to build a small cafe in a corner of your store.
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