While e-commerce is expected to grow dramatically in 2021, most consumers still prefer to shop in stores. Some buyers like the in-store shopping experience because they can physically view and feel the item they wish to buy before purchasing. According to projections, internet sales will exceed $645 billion in 2021, meaning that retail establishments that rely only on foot visitors will miss out on significant sales.
You must strike a balance between internet sales and foot traffic to avoid being left behind. The use of a CRM management solution can help you shift the balances in your favor. It will support you in your day-to-day tasks and help you attain your goals without costing a fortune.
As a retailer, you know that having more consumers in your store means more opportunities to boost sales and build personal relationships with customers, resulting in a higher bottom line and a healthier business.
Here are the 10 best ways to attract customers to your retail store
1. Increase appeal of your in-store design
Another strategy to enhance that percentage is to increase the appeal of your retail business. Like an online user who doesn’t want to buy from a website that’s difficult to navigate, local shoppers won’t want to enter the shop unless they feel comfortable and easy to find. Do some visual merchandising.
Give your store new and relevant reasons for checking. This can be done by integrating fashionable and seasonal aspects into the displays. Keep your windows basic to make your passengers tourists, on the brand, and intriguing. Display your most appealing things. There is enough signage to make it easy to find. It is well-lit and appears to be open. Is the outside clean? Take care of the trash cans and walkways in the area.
2. Build community hub
Encourage your employees to engage in customer interaction. show them how to have more meaningful interactions with your consumers. Run functions that bring people together as another approach to integrating more socialization into your store. Fashion displays and the occasional in-store party can assist in increasing foot traffic.
It’s critical to provide a unified and high-quality shopping experience that combines digital and in-store elements. Building an online community of followers through curated content will offer dimension to the brand beyond bricks and mortar, allowing it to alter perceptions, anchor itself to specific attributes, influence spending, and establish common ground.
3. Invite strategic partnerships and Influencers
Finding partners with similar markets and brand synergies might help you leverage your business and grow your consumer base.
Many successful start-ups have relied on strategic alliances for two reasons: complementary skill sets and a collaborative attitude. A successful customer relationship can provide you with market knowledge, more leads, and increased customer value or appeal. The best collaborations make both sides feel like winners, and the trick is finding the proper match.
It’s not easy to get people to come through the door, and sometimes you may need to hire outside help. Any experts or influencers are welcome to visit your shop. You may give a discussion or teach a lesson in collaboration with a local celebrity.
4. Improve Customer Loyalty
In your retail business, you may use the loyalty program to gain insight into your customers’ actions and use the data to improve and personalize messaging, products, and offers. Your best salespeople will know how to make customers feel unique in-store, including addressing them by their first name.
After purchasing, ask for feedback using automated feedback forms or surveys to learn what customers think before telling others.
Regularly communicate with customers– use social media and email marketing to reach out to them.
Create a loyalty program – customers are more likely to shop at stores that provide a rewards program.
Provide gift customization -Customers who wish to buy something special for their loved ones may be drawn to stores that provide gift personalization options.
5. In-store experience and feeling of exclusivity
You might be missing out if your in-store experience doesn’t engage all five senses. Creating a multi-sensory environment improves the buyer’s journey, which leads to improved sales. People place a different value on things based on how prevalent they believe they are. The more valuable a product, service, or opportunity appears to be, the rarer it is. To elicit a sense of scarcity, make it clear in your stores or on your eCommerce site that items are only accessible for a limited time and that certain products soon go off the shelves.
6. Make use of one-to-one interactions.
While much has changed in the retail industry, one thing remained the same: the consumer experience can make or break your business. So interact with your customers to elicit their emotions. Strong emotional messages are easier to remember and more effective than intellectual messages.
If you utilize the same vocabulary and body language as your clients when talking to them, you’ll improve the chances of buying from you. We have a stronger affinity for persons who are similar to us because of the “mirroring effect.” Encourage social sharing and location tagging by creating social sharing possibilities within your store. Displaying a branded hashtag and your store is a simple method to do this.
7. Revamp online presence
For retailers who wish to increase sales, cross-selling and up-selling are essential. Having a continuous supply of consumers, on the other hand, is as crucial. Here’s how you can accomplish it:
1. Buy online, pick up in-store– Allowing customers to pick up their orders in-store relieves stress and helps your store compete with other e-commerce stores that don’t have a physical location.
2. Match online prices – instead, provide a complementary warranty, customer service, or a 30-day money-back guarantee. Whatever you choose to offer, be sure it is more valuable than the money your consumers would save if they bought your goods from a competitor’s website online.
3. Make inventory information available online – One of the most crucial reasons for your store to be omnichannel is because on-the-fence customers won’t visit unless they’re sure the item they want will be available. They also don’t want to be held on hold while your employees check. Give your consumers the option of receiving an SMS when an item is back in stock!
4. Use text messaging to send out promos – SMS remarketing, social media ads, and other channels are all options for retargeting. Retargeting advertising is a good option if your retail organization uses an omnichannel strategy. Create a VIP text message list for your store and send out infrequent texts to customers offering them a discount if they come in to shop.
5. Optimize your website for local searches – Your retail store must make every effort to appear in online searches.
Here are some ideas for making your website more local search-friendly:
- Look up local directories and submit a request to be included.
- Make contact with local bloggers and ask if they’d be willing to write about your company.
- On Google My Business, double-check that your name, phone number, and address are correct.
- Complete your profile with current images of the inside and outside of your store while you’re at it.
- Add a Call/Text button to your website.
- Customers should be asked to leave a review on your Google listing by sending an email or text message.
- React to both positive and negative feedback.
8. Multipurpose retail space
The combination of retail and café experiences attracts new customers who would not ordinarily visit your store. Repurposing a section of your store to open a café or even a restaurant provides potential for community building.
Workshops and classes can be a source of extra income if you charge admission fees, but they’re also a great opportunity to engage with your current clients and attract new ones.
Run functions that bring people together as another strategy to increase socializing in your store. Fashion displays and the occasional in-store party can help boost foot traffic. Another popular method is for merchants to host regular yoga classes in their stores.
9. Traditional advertising
Consumers have gone online, and this has radically altered how firms communicate with their customers. Traditional advertising, such as print, radio, television, and billboards, is still one of the most effective ways to acquire new clients.
10. Honing your employee’s skills
Experiment with new ideas; invest in training, whether it’s a course or a business coach, so they can stay accountable, hone their abilities, and try new approaches. Managers must ensure that their staff understands meeting clients, connecting with them, providing products efficiently, and closing sales.
The following are some examples of formal training and onboarding features that might assist store owners:
- POS training -so that new hires can pick up the computer system fast.
- Customer service training is essential.
- Checking for falsified currency
- Training for daily operations and stock/visual merchandising
- What can you do to assist clients who are browsing?
- Training on health and safety.
Pay attention to what reshapes the business environment and puts in place initiatives to acquire new customers. What are you doing to make the market stand out?
The retail brick and mortar changes, but soon is not gone. Your organization has to take an omnichannel approach and give a moving in-store survival experience. We hope you have received beneficial advice from this post to assist you in developing your client base. You can also optimize everyday operations, easily and rapidly educate and onboard new staff, and adopt new solutions that will take your retail business to the next level by using CRM software like ChainDrive
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