5 Ways to Increase Footfall in ANY Shop

Paying customers is what keeps any business or shop afloat; the more you have, the better.

However, there are several stages in the process of a purchase decision and one is getting people through the doors.

Once in, you can use a variety of appealing offers and marketing tools, such as posters, desktop roller banners and more to entice them to buy—and to maximize this purchase. But, are you getting the right level of footfall? Do you need to take a fresh look at your shop and make changes so that people step through the door?

It certainly doesn’t do any harm to check through these five great tips on increasing footfall; better still, they work for ALL types of shops and retail units.

#1 Tidy up the shop front

Fact: competition on the high street is fierce. When people see a pleasant looking and attractive shop front they will pay attention to it, they will be curious and want to know more.

Making it as attractive as possible is key and even the most marginal of changes can make your shop front more appealing. Something as simple as leaving your shop door open, offers an extra glimpse of inside as well as being more welcoming, and less of a barrier.

So ask yourself this question, when was the last time you took any notice of your shop front, let alone made any changes?

#2 Partner with another local business

The assumption of local retailers is that they are all in competition with one another. But this might not necessarily be the case. Think of other local retailers: who could you partner with? Who does it make sense to work more closely with?

The high street is often not a cohesive place but if you are one in a row of shops, why not see if you can work together to market yourselves? Offer joint incentives e.g. buy one store, get 10% off in any of the others.

With the high street being under pressure from Internet shopping, creating a destination is, according to retail experts, what high street businesses need to do. Could you be the driving force behind this idea on your high street?

#3 Move on to the street

You may assume that you are confined to the four walls of your shop but this is not necessarily the case.

It could be something as simple and effective as a pavement sign that has today’s or this week’s special offer or, if you are feeling very brave and up for the performance, why not demonstrate your products (if you can)?

Or offer samples to passers-by? Or send out a member of staff with flyers and leaflets with special offer coupons?

There are all kinds of ways of meeting the customer on the street and inviting them in to your shop.

#4 Harness customer loyalty

One time, customers felt that businesses coveted them. The advent of shopping online has changed all this, with many people feeling that business snaffle their cash and that’s it. There is little, if any reward, for staying loyal to a business.

So buck the trend and offer loyalty scheme, akin to the small pieces of card that people have stamped every time they buy a coffee. How many purchases would they need to make from you before you could offer a discount? Is there something else your customers need in order to harness their loyalty?

#5 Boost your marketing

Just like customers, we can become stuck in our ways so it may be that to increase the footfall in your business, you need to boost your marketing.

• When was the last time you promoted yourself locally? Maybe you should consider splurging cash on local radio adverts, matched with local press promotions.
• Have you considered door-to-door leaflet drops? These can be a cost-effective way of getting your business noticed again.
• Are you really offering what people need? Maybe it’s time to expand stock items.
• Consider online methods too. Offline and online marketing should dovetail but as well as a website and social media, make sure people can fine you by making sure your business is registered on Google Maps—and keep this profile up to date.
• Is there a time of year that is better for business? Most high street retailers make most of their profit in the run up to Christmas which is important but there may be other times of the year that you need to harness.

More often than not, a fall in people coming in to your shop is a sign that thigs need to change—and some of them may be obvious, it’s just that you can’t see them.

Author: Colour Graphics is an online print and design agency that offer some of the best quality products with the latest printing technology. They work with all kinds of businesses to boost offline marketing – and they can work with you!