We’re going to walk you through 7 of our easy steps to increasing footfall in your store!
With increasing footfall you firstly need to understand foot traffic, which is one of the most important measures when it comes to stores. More traffic means more opportunities for sales and customer engagement, which in turn leads to higher revenue!
‘Spick n’ span’
A spruced up store can really do wonders for you curb appeal! Nobody really wants to walk into a store that has dirty windows or peeling paint, that’s why it’s important to stay on top of the maintenance tasks! Sweeping your storefront and cleaning your windows should be done daily, but a good paint job can last years!
Imagine being in a shop and next to the fresh fruit and veg aisle is a mass of dust and fluff… it would put you off immediately wouldn’t it? Don’t let customers form bad opinions about your store because of some grubbiness. Keep it clean and you’ll be increasing footfall in your store in no time!
First impressions count!
Shop windows are becoming increasingly valuable marketing assets! It’s your own space and chance to show the public exactly what your store is offering. Which means it needs to catch their eye! Customers are looking for experience, not just a transaction. Check the view from the pavement and ask yourself…
- Does it portray what you have to offer?
- Is it clean and eye-catching?
- If you were walking past would it make you curious enough to walk through the door?
- Is it welcoming/inviting?
Not everyone has the resources but even something simple like a little welcome mat or a sign outside saying welcome can make your store seem more approachable, hopefully increasing footfall in your store.
Customer experience
There’s nothing worse than waltzing into a store and dealing with rude, uncaring staff. We understand that sometimes in retail you have to work a lot of hours and it might not be the best part of your day.
So why not offer your customers an incentive? For example, some companies get their employees to hand out review cards, so that if the customer feels they have received good service they can write a nice message about that employee. Then at the end of the week the employee that got the most positive reviews will get a prize, such as an extra day off.
It’s important that your employees are representing your brand with the way they serve customers. Remember, service with a smile!
Trends and events
If you’re adapting your store to fit in with different events, you are doing it right! Yearly and seasonal events make large amounts of money every year, especially within the retail markets. So get on board with St. Paddy’s Day merch, a few Christmas decorations and Easter products because the public love it!
An election, the birth of a royal baby or perhaps a sporting event can influence customer buying behaviour, so think outside the box! After each event period you could complete a retail analysis, analysing when your store had the largest increase of footfall to establish trends and patterns in customer purchasing. This way you will be able to plan in advance to make sure your customers are getting the most out of your shop, products and staff, increasing footfall in your store on the go!
Direct approach
Go beyond typical window displays by adding additional elements outside your shop, such as a welcoming sign, a card stand or a plant pot section. You could even stand outside or nearby and hand out flyers promoting your business or what you have to offer. With a friendly face and a warm welcoming, the direct approach with meeting your customers will make your store known and more approachable. You don’t want to confine yourself inside your four walls and wait for shoppers to find you – go out and be proactive!
A door drop with a leaflet could also be a nice way to encourage locals and customers to visit your store. If you have an event coming up you could offer an incentive where if they come into store they could get money off certain products.
Deal or no deal!
Taking advantage of deals and offers is always a great way to increase footfall in your store, because honestly, who doesn’t love a bargain? We’re not saying sell your whole shop for cheap and have sales all the time, you don’t want your sales rates to drop! But when a popular holiday or event is round the corner, maybe come up with a few fun deals to get your customers engaged and excited!
Make yourself a strategy where you notice a certain product isn’t selling as well so you discount it to entice customers. If you really want to step up your game… why not dedicate a small area offering products for a £1?
Offer something extra
An ATM drives footfall to your store – it’s as simple as that. Don’t believe us? According to the ACS Local Shop Report 2017, 58% of shops now have ATMs and 76% of customers pay by cash! Which means they need access to a cash machine. Imagine if your store had an in-store ATM?
What’s more is that these customers won’t just stop at cash. People like to impulse buy, they just can’t resist that chocolate bar… to talk to us about having an ATM in your business, please get in touch!
We know you might think an ATM in our list is a bit cheeky but we’re only trying to guide you to what will benefit your store’s footfall! One YourCash customer, Alistair Bradbury of Best-one in Manchester says, and we quote “I can easily and conservatively say that the ATM is driving 15-20% of the footfall into the shop.” – how can you argue with that?
If you have any extra tips that you want to share with us on increasing footfall in your store, then you can tweet us, we’d love to hear what you’ve come up with!