Opening the Doors to Retail Success: 9 Proven Ways to Attract Customers to Your New Store
The past few years have been tough for many brick-and-mortar retailers. But even in our digital age, physical stores still offer unbeatable benefits both for businesses and their customers. Shoppers enjoy touching, trying on and experiencing products firsthand – things they simply can‘t do online.
As a new business owner, bringing people through your doors is critical. First impressions count, so you’ll need creative, outside-the-box strategies to grab attention and convince shoppers your store is the place to be.
Here are 9 data-backed tactics to make your retail space a standout success:
1. Create Striking Visual Impact
Let’s start from the outside in. Your storefront and displays should immediately catch the eye. Bold signage, modern lighting, attention-grabbing window designs – these elements promise an intriguing interior.
Image source: BigCommerce
According to research by Retail TouchPoints, a clean, appealing exterior can lift foot traffic by up to 36%. Dynamic displays also boost impulse purchases – by around 40% for window shoppers.
So put thought into your external aesthetics. Hire professional designers if needed. This first impression is vital for luring visitors inside.
| Percentage Increase | |
|---|---|
| Foot Traffic | 36% |
| Impulse Purchases | 40% |
Table 1. Impact of store exterior and window displays on retail metrics
2. Build Hype Online
Don’t neglect your digital presence. Run targeted social media and search ads to raise awareness pre-launch. Share tantalizing teasers about your opening on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Building hype online will drive opening day traffic. Later on, keep showcasing products digitally through beautiful visuals and video content. Stay discoverable through SEO optimization too – 42% of shoppers use search engines to find local stores.
3. Make Their Visit Memorable
Now you’ve gotten them through the door – wow them with an amazing in-store experience. Little touches make a difference, enhancing enjoyment and satisfaction.
Offer guests chilled drinks or locally-sourced snacks as they browse. Have attentive staff on hand to assist. Play upbeat music and ensure accessible, organized displays. These aspects all boost perceived value and sales.
In one study by Verdict Retail, 72% of shoppers said they’d spend more time and money in stores with better experiences – quality over convenience.
| Metric | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Shoppers who will spend more money with better experience | 72% |
Table 2. Impact of in-store customer experience on shopping behavior
4. Host Special Events
Use events and activities to keep luring people back. These are fantastic opportunities for extra exposure and revenue while reinforcing your brand image creatively.
Book signings, trunk shows, workshops, exclusive sales – get innovative with unique, on-brand events that align with your products and target market.
The trick is making them exclusive and VIP-feel while utilizing sponsors and strategic partnerships with other businesses. Promoted successfully on social media and other channels, such events become unmissable retail ‘happenings’.
Image source: Hubspot
5. Gather Customer Intel
Now you have shoppers coming in…it’s time to collect intel! Gather their contact info and purchase data so you can nurture relationships via personalized offers.
Implement incentives like loyalty programs or referral rewards to encourage sign-ups. Use digital tools like branded apps to make joining up even easier.
These contacts are marketing gold – you can tailor promotions, sneak peeks of new items, special discounts and build invaluable customer loyalty. Research shows happy repeat customers spend 67% more than new ones.
6. Curate Your Merchandise
Carefully curate your shelves with beautiful, intriguing product displays. Follow trends but put your distinctive stamp on selections. Limited editions, place-based items and collaborations with local creators also help you stand apart while allowing reasonable price points.
When displays feel deliberate, fresh and unique, people perceive greater value from the outset. This builds confidence in purchasing as well while allowing room for higher profit margins.
7. Analyze and Adapt
Pay close attention to what’s working…and what’s not. Keep testing new initiatives while measuring performance diligently.
Monitor sales data, web traffic, email open rates, foot traffic and inventory turnover. Identify your strongest and weakest areas. Maintain flexibility to tweak your strategies, doubling down on what resonates while eliminating less fruitful efforts.
The retail landscape keeps evolving. As a small business, you have the advantage of responding swiftly to opportunities as they emerge.
8. Implement Loyalty Programs
Loyalty or rewards programs are a highly effective way to boost retention and drive repeat business. Data shows shoppers want that VIP treatment – over 600 million people actively engage with loyalty programs because of the exclusive perks.
| Key Metric | Current Global Figure |
|---|---|
| Membership in Loyalty Programs | +600 million |
| Percentage who join programs for special treatment/perks | 76% |
Table 3. Popularity of retail loyalty programs and driver metrics
The more personalized your program, the better too. Offer birthday surprises, tiered rewards for top customers, early access to sales etc.
Just make signup and management easy with user-friendly apps. Gamify the experience and watch your leads and sales grow.
9. Train and Empower Staff
Your employees make a massive impact on the store experience. Invest time upskilling your team so they can turn visitors into lifelong, raving fans.
Conduct training workshops on topics like personalized service, suggestive selling techniques and product knowledge. Set incentives around customer satisfaction metrics vs sales goals alone to encourage brilliant service.
Empower staff to resolve issues instantly – replace items no questions asked, hand out discounts for service mishaps and more within certain bounds. Word of mouth goes far, so aim for 100% customer referrals through engaged, motivated staff with the authority to preserve the store‘s reputation.
Standing out from growing online competition isn’t easy – but brew the right blend of memorable brand experience, savvy digital outreach and actionable customer insight, and you’ll have a winning retail formula ready to maximize success.
With foot traffic driving upwards of 25% of sales for over half of small retailers, your store needs to become THE go-to hotspot for your ideal buyers.
Implement even 3-4 of these proven tactics religiously, and you‘ll see your visitors transform into loyal brand champions. So take the first step now towards retail prosperity – unlock those doors and start welcoming crowds inside!
