With the current boom of e-commerce, many brick and mortar stores are feeling the pinch. But what can you do to impact customer traffic to your stores?
Here are three offline aspects to consider which may impact your foot traffic:
1. Spruce up your shop’s appearance.
Unfortunately, first impressions matter in your brick and mortar store. Therefore, it is important that your store looks inviting. Make sure that the signage is in good condition and that your window displays are creative and eye-catching. You should also ensure that your shelves are neatly packed and that the customer-facing areas are always clean.
2. Have kerbside attractions.
Put up a blackboard sign outside your store to invite passing traffic into your store. You could also invest in a pull-up banner and dot those around the area where your store is based. It is also important to know the rules and regulations about advertising outside of your store and use these areas to your full advantage.
3. Train your employees.
It is important that your employees are experts on the products which you sell. With a thorough knowledge of the products available in your store, they will be able to recommend the perfect solution to your customer. In addition, if your employees have great negotiating skills they could improve on the sales which they make. It is also important that your employees’ behaviour is always professional whether there are customers present or not. This is because it could influence if a customer enters your store or not. Another aspect to consider is to protect your employees against negative customers. You need to train them on how to best handle this type of customer and what steps they should take to diffuse a negative situation.
Next, let’s have a look at three online aspects which can improve foot traffic to your store:
1. Get listed online.
With most consumers doing their research online before making a purchase, it is important to be listed online. There has also been a rise of people using the term “near me” to search for specific shops in their area. You can make sure you appear in these searches by getting listed on Google and other websites which are appropriate for your business. You should also list your company on Facebook. When creating a listing, it is critical that the information regarding your retail hours and contact information is correctly inputted.
2. Create a website.
Some people love shopping online. Why not create a simple e-commerce website with your products? This will also give you a secondary income stream for your business.
3. Offer click and collect.
This is great for brick and mortar stores as it encourages people to visit your store to collect their purchase. This opens the opportunity to make impulse sales. The other advantage is that customers can decide on when they would like to collect their package from your store.
By implementing these online and offline strategies, your brick and mortar store will increase its foot traffic.
