For any retail outlet, high footfall is essential. Without plenty of people coming in and out of your store you are not likely to be able to stay open long.
Typically, if you manage to increase foot traffic numbers by 10% your takings will increase by at least that. But more importantly, your profit margin percentage will be given a little boost. The average spend per new customer will be around the same. This is because your overheads will not have been increased by the fact that more people came through the door. So, your profit margin on extra customers is typically a little higher.
Increasing Footfall Without Spending Too Much
In business, it always makes sense to sweat your assets. To use your premises, equipment, and staff to do more. With retail, getting more customers through the door is an excellent way to do that.
But you want to be sure that you are doing it in the best way possible. The ROI must be right. Focusing on the low-cost ways to increase footfall is what this article is all about.
Start With Digital Signage
To be able to entice people into your store, you need to first catch their eye. Digital screens are perfect for doing this. When you set up an electric or solar sandwich board outside your store passers-by who are approaching from both directions will be able to see what is on offer. Often, from quite a distance away, too. Giving you time to do a bit more than simply flash up an x % off advert. You can also spend a few seconds demonstrating or sharing one of the benefits of that discounted product. Or suggesting why it is worth their while popping in and taking a look. It is extremely easy to increase foot traffic with digital signage. It is also far more low cost than you think. You can easily repurpose a screen that you already own. All you need is the right software, which is readily available on subscription, so the start-up cost of this form of footfall magnet is low.
If your retail outlet is located in an area that does not allow sandwich boards, incorporate a screen into your window display or set one up above the doorway. You won´t get quite as many eyes on them as you would a digital sandwich board, but enough people will notice it to significantly increase footfall and takings.
Targeted Leafleting And Flyers
Sometimes we forget the low-tech option. Take for example leaflets and flyers. These days, many businesses never use this highly effective paper-based advertising medium, which is a huge shame because they work. Especially if you use them in a targeted way.
If your store is quiet, sending someone to the mall entrance to hand out flash sale leaflets is an effective way to draw people in. The chances are you will notice that the lull happens around the same time of the day or at certain points during the week. So, it is possible to state on the flyer that the sale ends at XYZ time or is only on until XYZ day. Adding urgency to an offer improves how effective it is. As is changing the type of leaflets you hand out depending on the demographic of the people in the mall or shopping centre, at each time of the day. Wording the leaflet carefully means that you do not need to have a batch printed up every time you run a sale, there is no need to include a specific date.
Use this excellent guide to find out more about leafleting for modern retailers. Having a small batch of leaflets or flyers printed does not cost a lot. Include a barcode in it and require the customer to have it scanned at the till to buy the offer. This will tell you which offers, and leaflet design converts into sales, and which do not. Allowing you to focus on the best ones and get a good ROI.
Make The Shopping Experience Comfortable
Studies show that atmosphere is one of the reasons people still like to shop in physical shops rather than online. So, creating a welcoming, comfortable store is a big part of increasing footfall.
Offer Something A Little Different
Creating some extra interest is also a good way to attract customers through the door. That could be running a demo, a small fashion show, product tasting, or offering the chance to go around the store with a personal shopper along with a handful of other people.
None of the above is expensive to implement. Nor are they complicated.
