Retail is facing many challenges in a post-covid world. Footfall to retail stores in the UK has been declining for a few years now, but in 2021 it took another dip, with traffic dropping by 40% on the previous year. For many small businesses and larger companies alike, this can be catastrophic. But as consumer habits shift towards more of a virtual shopping experience, can you realistically boost traffic to your bricks and mortar store as well as your online store?
Freshen Up Signage and External Features
One way to boost footfall to your store is by freshening up signage and external features. Whilst it might seem like a lot of effort, it’s worth investigating your current signage and exterior features as they may be outdated or not convey the right message to potential customers.
If you need some new ideas of what to include in your new signage, you can always contact a Fascia Signage company and ask them for advice.
Partner with Local Businesses
One way to boost footfall to your store is by partnering with local businesses. It’s often a mutually beneficial arrangement as small firms can’t afford to offer the same discount deals as larger chains and supermarkets and vice versa. This can be an excellent way of using the bridgehead effect, where one company’s customers are another company’s prospects. This type of partnership may work well for your online store, too, if you’re running one!
Offer In-Store Discounts
One way to increase footfall to your store is by offering in-store discounts.
The best way for customers to save money is to combine their in-store purchases with their online ones. Offer them a 10% discount if they spend £10 or more on your website and come into the store to spend that money. This will not only drive traffic to your store, but it will also increase customer loyalty, make them feel valued, and help you retain them as a customer.
There are many ways you can offer an incentive for customers coming into the store either through an app or with a coupon code on the back of their receipt; show different denominations of savings such as £5 off for purchases of £30 or more. Be creative!
Improve The Customer Experience
The key to success with any retail strategy is the customer experience. If you take care of your customers, they will be more likely to return for more. And it doesn’t stop there; a good customer experience can lead to word-of-mouth advertising and referrals.
The following are five ways you can improve your customer experience without spending any money;
- Acknowledge the customer
- Be friendly
- Be helpful
- Be knowledgeable about products
- Offer discounts or specials on items
Encourage Feedback
The first tip is to encourage feedback. Feedback and reviews are a great way to get people back into your store. Feedback can be as simple as asking customers for feedback or reviews on their experience at your store. You could also offer discounts for those who provide feedback but make sure you don’t restrict rewards to just one form of feedback, such as reviewing online or filling out surveys. Encourage them to do both! And when you have the feedback, act on it, especially the negative aspects. Customers will appreciate the effort you are going to so you can make things right, and this will encourage repeat visits if they know the service is getting better.
