In order to attract more customers and potentially boost revenue, it is important to understand the methods for increasing foot traffic to a physical store. Some effective strategies for driving more customers to your retail store include offering in-store pick-up services, collaborating with influencers and brand ambassadors, and organizing events within your store.
Growing a brick-and-mortar or retail store relies heavily on the increase of foot traffic. The more people that visit your store, the higher the possibility of boosting sales and customer engagement. It is essential, when searching for an ideal location for your business, to ensure that the chosen place generates a considerable amount of foot traffic. This will naturally facilitate the growth of your business.
If you have already selected the correct location, there are still various marketing strategies that can be implemented to increase foot traffic to your retail store. Whether you are facing difficulties in attracting more customers or simply seeking ways to enhance the flow of people into your store, this blog article is intended to assist you.
Foot Traffic
Foot traffic is a crucial metric that indicates the number of customers entering various establishments like retail stores, malls, and restaurants. This metric is significant as it determines the presence of customers in the store and signifies future sales. It is self-evident that the greater the foot traffic, the greater the sales.
When starting a retail business, it is crucial to recognize the importance of foot traffic for its success. Therefore, choosing the appropriate location is essential and should be a priority on your to-do list. Before making this decision, it is highly beneficial to conduct thorough customer traffic analysis.
Retailers have the ability to obtain data regarding the number of individuals who visit their store on a specific day. The significant traffic metrics that retailers should prioritize are as follows:
- Average time spent by customers in the store
- Average length of time spent shopping on an annual basis
- Types of products or items that are most in-demand
- Distance customers travel from their homes to the store
- Comparisons of traffic data with competing stores
Importance of Foot Traffic in Retail Store
Foot traffic is crucial for business owners as it provides them with additional data for making well-informed decisions. This includes the ability to determine the busiest periods in their store by analyzing total sales and foot traffic, which in turn allows for the effective planning of staff schedules.
By measuring foot traffic levels alongside total orders processed, you can determine if your staff is effectively converting opportunities into sales. The ability to analyze the data will enhance your capability to identify trends, compare your store’s performance to others, and optimize workforce planning and marketing for cost-effectiveness.
Ways to Increase Foot Traffic in Retail Store
There are multiple methods to increase foot traffic to a retail store. One approach is for retailers to organize promotional events, sales, and fundraisers in order to entice a larger number of new customers into the store. Additionally, other retail stores make use of their social media presence to enhance customer attraction.
In addition, you can explore numerous creative approaches to increase the number of visitors to your vicinity. Below are alternative marketing tactics that you can consider in order to enhance foot traffic and ultimately boost sales.
1. Leverage advertising banners
The utilization of banner advertisements in the vicinity of your store is a tactic that will attract customers. Various types of signage can be employed by businesses to advertise. Retail signage refers to visual store graphics which are employed to convey information about store particulars, branding, events, and promotions.
To attract more customers, a deli can employ a freestanding sandwich board outside their store in order to inform customers about their products and business. This promotional tool facilitates advertising efforts and results in increased clientele.
Sandwich boards, such as the ones costing approximately $20, require minimal effort to install. Ensure that the content you choose to display on the boards is attention-grabbing, either by incorporating an enticing offer or a captivating phrase that has the potential to catch the eye of a person passing by.
2. Provide in-store pickup
One more approach to enhance the number of customers visiting your retail store involves utilizing different fulfillment choices. These choices consist of purchasing online for home delivery, placing orders online and collecting them in-store (BOPIS), and utilizing curbside shopping/pick up.
A study conducted by Innovating Commerce Serving Communities revealed that more than half of adult shoppers utilize BOPIS, and out of these customers, 67% enhance their order’s worth upon realizing they can collect it instantly. This alternative enables them to save time.
The option to buy online and pick up in-store guarantees a seamless shopping experience for customers both online and offline, leading to higher satisfaction with your services.
By offering these omnichannel shopping options, especially BOPIS, you can potentially boost your sales since customers who place orders online and then visit your store for pick-up are more inclined to browse other products and make additional purchases.
If a customer does not make an immediate purchase, they will still notice an item that may have interested them. This will eventually prompt them to return and make the purchase, which in turn contributes to higher sales.
3. Make your storefronts attractive
The appearance of your retail storefront plays a crucial role in attracting customers to the store, as it provides valuable information to potential customers who are passing by. This information includes your overall style, seasonal items, promotions, and other details.
By reading the message displayed on the window, individuals are more inclined to visit the store. Furthermore, the window can also function as a space to showcase some of the products. To entice potential customers to enter your store, ensure your storefront is visually appealing.
When considering what to write or display on your window, it is important to create something distinctive, elegant, and attention-grabbing. If you intend to showcase items or other products in your window, ensure they have an appealing appearance.
4. Utilize the online platform for a stronger presence.
Before, we said that using the buy online, pick up in-store option is a tactic you should think about using to boost the number of people coming into your store. However, if you want to reap the advantages of online shopping, you’ll need to have a reliable and well-known online presence and digital marketing strategy. Many retailers choose to make an eCommerce website.
In order to increase the likelihood of people contacting a local business, it is important to have a website that is mobile-friendly. This is supported by the fact that 61% of individuals who search on their smartphones are more inclined to reach out to a local business if its website is mobile-friendly. However, simply having a mobile-friendly website is not sufficient. It is also essential to invest in local SEO, establish a presence on social platforms, and optimize for local search engines.
5. Offer click-and-collect
If you are already selling online, that’s excellent. We highly recommend providing click-and-collect services in your stores as well. This not only attracts customers to your physical location but also has the potential to boost sales.
Studies have indicated that approximately one-third of shoppers would rather receive their purchases at a place other than their residence. Moreover, many of these individuals decide to collect their orders from physical stores. In addition, around 50% of the survey participants have chosen to pick up their items in-store, and within this group, 45% made additional purchases during their visit to the store.
6. Leverage Google’s Local Inventory Ads
Dan mentions that merchants can use Google’s local inventory ad service to list their local inventory information online in order to boost traffic.
The process functions in the following manner: If a customer in close proximity performs a Google search for a product stocked in a nearby store, Google will incorporate that specific item into the search results.
When users click on your listing, they are directed to a Google-hosted page for your store, which is known as the local storefront. The local storefront allows shoppers to access various features including viewing in-store inventory, checking store hours, getting directions, and more.
7. Explore social media opportunities
One approach suggested by Kelly Ehlers, the founder and president of Ideas That Evoke, is for retailers to make use of social media in order to benefit themselves. Utilizing Facebook advertisements is one method to achieve this goal.
Kelly suggests using Facebook Offer Ads to encourage customers to visit your physical store. By doing this, you can monitor the number of people who have redeemed the offer and also keep track of how many customers actually came to the store with the offer code obtained through social media.
According to growth marketer Melanie Balke, Facebook ads have a specific feature called “Store visits” that serves as a connection between the online and offline realms, enabling retailers to redirect customers to their physical stores. These advertisements provide location-based coupons that can solely be utilized in-store, appear when the user is close to the store, and offer directions to the store using maps.
If you are not particularly enthusiastic about ads, at the very least, it is necessary for you to ensure that your social accounts remain active with updates and appealing snippets.
Kelly suggests posting regularly on your social media account to demonstrate the impressive activities your business is involved in within the community and to generate customers’ curiosity. For instance, if you are participating in any charitable or community events, offering in-store specials, or collaborating with another local business, these are all excellent content to highlight on social media.
Sharing real-time information with your audience has become incredibly convenient, all thanks to platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Utilize these tools to your benefit, for instance, by posting images that highlight your latest arrivals. Take a look at Significant Other, a fashion boutique in Australia, who recently shared this fantastic example.
8. Implement email marketing
Are there any ongoing in-store promotions that you have? If you have an upcoming event, you can keep your customers informed by sending them emails. Highlight the advantages of visiting your physical store, such as access to exclusive offers that are only available for redemption at the store.
To achieve optimal outcomes, tailor your posts based on the demographic, location, and purchase history of your customers. For example, if you have an event taking place at your San Francisco store, make sure to only send an email to individuals in that vicinity to avoid potentially alienating your remaining customers.
9. Make customer loyalty a bigger focus
To effectively increase foot traffic, it is important to not only attract new customers to your store, but also to emphasize the importance of encouraging existing customers to return. ScrubzBody™, a skin care product retailer, provides a great example of this approach in action.
Owner Roberta Perry emphasizes that customer loyalty is of utmost importance to them, as it plays a significant role in boosting foot traffic.
Our exceptional treatment of customers leads them to refer friends and family. We organize events like Ladies Nights and children’s birthday parties, attracting groups of 6-18 people at once. We also host fundraisers. Our core belief is in displaying sincerity and genuine concern for customers’ purchasing and user experiences. Instead of merely selling what we deem necessary, we prioritize ensuring customers find the right product. We take pride in being easily accessible to address any inquiries. Such personalized service cannot be achieved online.
