Increasing the visitors to your store.

Now, more than ever, it has become important that retail businesses entice people into their stores. With more and more shops closing down on the high street and numerous brands going into administration, retail businesses need to look at new and innovative ways to attract customers. In the last few years we have seen the disappearance of some big brand names including Toys R Us and Mothercare from our UK retail centres, with more and more names struggling each year.

There is a growing trend in people shopping online and many retailers are looking at ways in which they can have a digital shopping presence as well as a store on the highstreet. There are a number of different ways in which a company can increase the number of visitors to their store and to make their shopping experience all the more enjoyable whilst they are there.

Here are a few suggestions for you:

• Atmosphere – If you can increase the dwell time of your customers in your store, you are more likely to be able to convert them from browsers into buyers. This involves understanding who your key customers are and appealing to them directly. This may involve looking at the ways in which your items are displayed, the signage that you use and the overall experience. We often neglect to look at ways in which we can appeal to all five senses, rather than simply our sight. Music for Business is one way in which you can attract customers with the music that you play. This needs to be carefully researched and planned to ensure that the music you play appeals to your demographic. You can also look at the smells in your business – think Yankee Candle!

• Customer Service – The way in which your customers are greeted and dealt with throughout their shopping experience will also determine whether they will buy from your store and more importantly whether they will return and tell their friends about you. People are more likely to tell their family and friends about a negative experience that they have had rather than a positive one, so if you can eliminate yourself from the negative ones you are one step ahead of a lot of the competition.
• Loyalty Schemes and Digital Marketing – Offering some kind of loyalty scheme is a popular way to try and retain your customers and has worked well from brands such as Tesco, Monsoon and other large retail brands. This does not have to be a complicated, costly scheme. You can simply offer a percentage discount when the customer spends a certain amount of a free drink or cake after 10 purchases.

In order to be able to effectively implement any of these strategies you need to first understand your target demographic inside and out.