Are you looking to get more sales for your brick-and-mortar store? There are things you can do to bring traffic to your store and there are things you can do to get more from each shopper. How? You can implement some of these tips to totally optimize the way you do in-store retail marketing.
Position Your Most Popular Items in the Back of the Store
You may have heard this one before, but either way it’s too important not to mention. By placing your most popular items (some of which people will come to your store for), you’re forcing customers to walk through your store TWICE. Going to the front and the back again. By doing this, you’re opening the door of possibilities for customers to see something they like and possibly buying something they might not have been planning on. Just think about it, the more items they see, the more likely they are to buy something.
Place Smaller Items Near the Cashiers
Another common, yet super important tip to implement. Place some of your smaller, more accessory-based inventory towards the front of your store, or wherever the cashiers are. This is where the lines form, meaning customers will have no choice but to see these items while they wait. The reason you should place small, accessory-based is because people are more likely to make impulsive decisions and the size makes them easy to store in their cart or hold in their hands. Think phone chargers, wallets, movies, stuff like that.
Offer Free Wifi
Everyone loves Wifi, especially when it’s free! Just have them enter their email address for access. When they sign into your Wifi, they feel more comfortable, therefore will stay longer and even better, you can send them email promotions.
Encourage Social Check-Ins
Any marketing professional will tell you word-of-mouth marketing is stronger than any ad campaign. This is because people trust their peers more than brands, so their endorsement will have more impact. Encouraging a social check-in (like on Facebook) is a great way to get immediate word-of-mouth exposure and set a reminder of your brand in place of your customers social media profile(s). Simply offer a discount in exchange for a check-in.
Utilize Customer Surveys
Want to get into the minds of your customers? You don’t have to hire that psychic down the street, you just have to ask your customers. Entice them to take surveys (maybe send them an email after letting them use your Wifi) and position the ask as a way to improve your customer experience. Offer them a coupon in exchange for an honest review.
Compiling enough surveys will give you a good idea as to what your customers are looking for and how you can improve their experience moving forward. And actually implementing these changes will tell your customers you’re actually listening, which will impress them and cause them to tell their friends leading to, you guessed it, word-of-mouth marketing.
Analyze (and Learn From) Foot Traffic Patterns
Just as digital marketers invest heavily in analyzing website traffic, you have to analyze foot traffic. Start by tracking what times of the year/month/week/day people are coming in and making observations. As an example, bar/restaurants use happy hour as a way to drive traffic during slower times of the day. You have to implement your own version of happy hour if you want to secure a steady stream of traffic.
Create a Customer Experience
You know what consumers look for? An experience, because that’s not something you can necessarily buy. That’s what large brands are selling, experiences. Creating a unique experience in your store will drastically increase the chances of customers buying more, coming back and telling their friends. Use compelling images on the walls and place your products strategically to transcend the traditional shopping experience.
Double Down on Loyalty Programs
Not everyone will take advantage of your free Wifi, so you should be investing heavily in your loyalty program. Offer exclusive offers in exchange for their email address, then provide special discounts and incentives for larger purchases.
