How to Get More People into Your Store
Looking for ways that you can increase foot traffic at your retail location? Here are some great tips on encouraging more customers to enter your store.
Create a memorable window display.
You could write an entire blog post (or multiple blog posts, for that matter) on the art of the window display, but in short, you want to make your store’s window display something memorable that will catch the customer’s eye.
Consider having your current marketing slogan decaled onto your windows and putting together a creative seasonal display that will set your store window apart from the rest.
Create a story with your window display, and let your window be an invitation to passersby.
Plan your store layout wisely.
How you design the layout of your store can significantly affect how much traffic comes into your store.
While you might be tempted to put your most valuable merchandise in that first area that customers see when they walk in (the threshold area or “decompression zone”), it is actually unwise to do so because most customers are still in “transition mode” when they first enter a store.
Therefore, you should refrain from putting any valuable merchandise within 15 feet of the store entrance. Customers do, however, have a tendency to turn right upon entering a store.
Clothes on hangers in shop. Close up. Shallow dof
For this reason, you should focus on merchandising that first wall that customers see, also known as the “power wall.”
Beyond these tips, it’s also a good idea to create a sort of path for your customers to take through your store.
A circular path will get your customers to the back of the store while also ensuring that they will visit the opposite side of the store. In addition to moving your customers through your store, however, you should also slow them down with “speed bumps” such as store signage, seasonal displays, merchandise outposts.
Overall, a customer’s journey through your store should be both seamless and stimulating.
Hold an in-store-only promotion.
Another way to get people into your store is to offer an in-store-only promotion. That could mean offering a certain percentage off of in-store purchases only, or it could mean selling certain products in stores only and not online.
As this article points out, you might even make use of limited edition or location-centric merchandise, selling that merchandise only to customers who visit a particular store.
Throw a promotional event.
On a related note, you can try holding a promotional event at your store to attract new visitors. It could be a “pop-up shop,” where a local artisan brings some of their product to your store to sell; they’ll benefit from the in-store sales, and you’ll benefit by getting their followers into your store.
You could also host a workshop, where, say, a local blogger teaches those who sign up how to make a particular craft. Or you could simply throw a party at your store, hiring local vendors to supply food and holding a raffle where guests can win fun prizes. (Tip: Have raffle entrants provide their email addresses for a chance to win.
That way you can keep in touch with them via your email list.) Whenever you throw a promotional event, just be sure to collaborate with businesses and vendors who share an aesthetic that is similar to your own; that way, you’ll attract customers who will like what your store has to offer.
Make your shoppers comfortable
Want people to spend more time in your store? Try adopting a kind of “coffee shop” mentality as you design your store’s layout.
This means offering ample seating so that consumers can stick around and converse if they desire—and so that friends and family members of shoppers can rest while their loved ones shop.
One tip here: make sure that your seats are still facing your merchandise so that the merchandise remains the primary focus.
Feature high quality images of your store on your website.
Many consumers like to get the scoop on a company or brand first before they commit to visiting their brick and mortar location. So if you really want to give consumers a taste of what they’ll experience when they enter your store, give them a virtual tour of your physical location first.
This dentist, for example, gives parents a look at the fun and engaging environment that their kids could enjoy if they were to go there for their dental care needs. Your photos, of course, should be high quality and highlight the best parts of your retail location.
