5 Ways to Increase Foot Traffic to Your Retail Store

All retailers want to sell more. The best way to do that is to attract as many passers-by as possible into their retail outlets. Studies show that people spend more per visit when they visit physical stores than they do online. Provided they have an enjoyable experience, they are also far more likely to return to buy again.

The problem is that these days there is less foot traffic. CoVid changed a lot of people´s shopping habits. Having no choice but to buy things online opens people´s eyes to how easy it was to do so. They liked it and many have continued to buy online.

According to the Ipsos Retail Traffic Index (RTI) footfall is recovering, but slowly. Numbers are still lower than in 2019, pre-CoVid and it is predicted that they will be for some time. This means that physical retailers have to grab every opportunity to attract people into their stores.

Tap into the power of digital signage

Tapping into the power of modern technology is particularly effective. For example, spending a bit of time learning the best way to use digital signage software for retail is a really good investment. Once you, or a member of your team, learn this skill it will pay dividends. Studies show that the way we live our lives means that when we see a screen our eyes are naturally drawn to it. Meaning that using digital display screens is an excellent way to tempt passers-by into your store.

To do this they can be deployed in one of two ways. You can use them in your window display or set two of them up on a sandwich board which has been designed for use with digital screens. Both approaches work, but which you choose to use depends on the following:

• Local bylaws – in some places sandwich boards are not allowed so check before investing in a digital screen sandwich board
• Access to a power point – if there is no easy access to a power point, using a solar-powered digital sandwich board is a possibility
• Vandalism – in some places, vandalism is an issue which means that it may be wiser to use the screen in a window display rather than setting up a relatively expensive piece of equipment on the street
• Lighting conditions – modern digital screens are designed to be readable in most lighting conditions, but even these do not handle direct sunlight well

Run events

People are naturally a little bit nosey, so if they notice that something a little different is going on in your store as they are passing there is a fair chance their curiosity will get the better of them. This article explains how to host a successful in-store event and provides you with a few suggestions.

Selectively use leafleting

Leafleting can still be incredibly effective. Regardless of where you are based, the changes are you will have access to a print shop that can produce a batch of flyers very quickly. A fact that opens up the potential for you to get creative. For example, if it snows, you could potentially take a few photos of items people may want to buy because it is very cold. Then, using something like GIMP or Canva you could create a design for a leaflet and get it printed up and handed out to people as they enter the shopping centre.

Hold flash sales

You could also potentially use leaflets to help you to run successful flash sales. They are a wonderful way to attract people in on days when it is incredibly quiet in-store.

There are several approaches you could take. Perhaps the most effective is to select a few items and offer deep discounts on them that only last for a day or even a few hours. Get the leaflets printed by a one-hour print shop and hand them out. If you want to learn more about running flash sales, just click here.

Continually change up your window displays

Window displays still catch the eye of passers-by. Do your best to make them eye-catching and relevant to the type of people who are likely to be walking past your store. Regularly changing your window display can help you to do this more effectively. For example, if you notice that a different type of person passes by your store at the weekend than on a weekday, change things to fit in with that demographic. If you incorporate digital screens into your window displays, it could be as simple as changing the short videos you show and the offers you highlight.

The above are the most effective ways to attract passers-by into your store. But it is always worth keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing, as well.