Your store is clean, bright, and stocked with quality products. You’ve hired the best possible staff, and trained them to serve customers well. Now all you need to call this holiday season a success...is customers!
We’ve gathered ideas you can use to turn the, looky-loos online and on the street and sidewalk in front of your store — into paying customers. #ChaChing
8 Ideas to Increase Foot Traffic
Look Busy. When shoppers are out for a stroll or passing drivers peer into your store window, what do they see? Are associates smiling, moving around the sales floor, and generally taking action...or are they slumped behind the cash register looking bored? Even on slow days, the appearance of action and good cheer are important. Turn on some tunes, keep a list of simple chores to accomplish each day, and keep movin'-and-shakin' to draw shoppers in.
Boost Curb Appeal. If the front of your store is in disrepair or dirty, then it won’t be a very appealing option for shoppers to enter. Touch up paintwork as necessary, and ensure all exterior lighting and signage is in good working order. Consider placing potted or faux plants (Christmas trees are nice this time of year), a seasonal outdoor floor mat, and a bench outside, if appropriate. Have windows professionally cleaned inside and out. Keep walkways clean, clear, and de-iced in inclement weather. More Ideas >>
Maximize Window Displays. If you’re blessed with a beautiful window display opportunity, make the most of it! Change your display at least once a month, and every one to two weeks during the holidays. If you have a staffer with a creative spark, involve them in the brainstorming and setup process.
Manage Your Lakefront Property. Beyond a killer window display, the merchandise and fixtures in the area of your store that generates the most sales, aka your ‘Lakefront Property,’ are vitally important. Displays in this area should be clean, attractive, and engaging. Prioritize keeping merchandise in this zone fully stocked and organized at all times. Ninety percent of customers entering a store turn first to the right, so this section of the store is a good starting point to consider.
Cider + Reciprocity = Sales.Put the law of reciprocity to work by enticing shoppers in on chilly days with the complimentary hot cocoa, apple cider, or tea. Studies who when shoppers are given a freebie, they are even more likely to make a purchase, or to purchase more than originally intended. Place signs in your window & on the sidewalk promoting complimentary hot beverages, share about it on social, and get ready for customers!
Make a Sandwich [Board].If your city and neighborhood allow this type of temporary external signage, give it a try. Sandwich boards are an affordable way to increase your store’s visibility. Consider a chalkboard, wipe-off board, or other messaging option that lets you shake things up; you can share your sense of humor, and alternate images and words as often as you want.
Engage on Social.Invite customers to be part of your social media story. Snap pics of happy shoppers checking out a new product collection, or the products themselves. *Share these snaps on social media, tag the shopper, and include quality images of brands or products they shopped. Shopping enthusiasm is contagious, and people will want to pop by to get in on the fun. *Always ask permission before taking or sharing customer photos.
Use Hashtags. Another fun way to drive traffic using social media is to invite customers to post their purchases using hashtags, and tagging your store. As an example, #TerifficTees and @ChristianBookstore; promote the hashtag on your Facebook page, invite your customers to post pics of themselves in cool tees from your store, and give away a free t-shirt once a month to fans who posted with your hashtag.
If you’re ready to stock up on quality, top-selling merchandise to present to all those shoppers you’re expecting this season, then…
