There’s nothing like a wet British summer to dampen consumer activity. After a scorching June, a decidedly soggy start to the summer holidays has seen a rise in retail footfall slip back. Not to mention hitting the hospitality trade just as peak tourism season starts.
There’s not much anyone can do about the weather, of course. But declining footfall is a long-term concern for retailers, restaurateurs, bar and cafe owners alike. There’s little argument about the impact that e-commerce has had on everything from clothes shopping to the number of people ordering in a takeaway rather than going out for a meal.
All of this means that businesses have to work harder than ever to attract customers. If there are fewer feet on the streets, you have to be on top of your game making sure your business stands out and offers something appealing to passersby. You also have to go the extra mile encouraging repeat visits by locking in customer loyalty.
The good news is that methods of encouraging greater footfall boil down to good all-round business practices. It’s about marketing your business in the right way, making sure you have an offer that customers want, and providing an experience that will have them coming back for more.
Here are some top tips for making that happen.
Make the most of the outside of your premises
Every store owner understands the importance of having an attractive window display to grab attention. But you can go even further than this by making use of the space outside your premises.
This is something hospitality businesses learnt to their benefit during the COVID pandemic. While social distancing measures were in place, creating attractive outdoor seating areas was a necessity. Now it tells passing customers immediately if there is space for them to sit, or gives them that all-important ‘feel’ for a place, without having to walk through the door.
Retailers can follow suit with bright, appealing outdoor displays, prominent signage (especially important if your premises is off a main route), and, where appropriate, merchandising so people can check out products up close as they pass.
Focus on events and experiences
If you are worried about ecommerce options eating away at your footfall, the most important question to ask is, what can I offer on my premises that customers cannot get online? The obvious answer is, events and experiences that people remember. In-person experiences remain the key point of difference between online and offline, and carry significant value in their own right.
So yes, digital is easy and convenient. But buying books online cannot replicate meeting your favourite author at a book signing at your local bookstore. Neither is ordering a new outfit online ever going to be the same as attending a fashion show. The same goes for swapping a takeaway for a special taster menu, or cookery lessons, at your favourite restaurant.
Businesses with physical premises these days have to think beyond their products to give people reasons to visit. Products can be bought with a few clicks online. Events, things that bring people together and create a buzz, they have to be experienced.
Lean into technology
It’s important not to make too much of the competition between online and offline, though. For modern consumers, it’s not a case of either/or. Given the right incentives, people want to shop online and off. Moreover, they want online experiences as they ‘go out’ shopping or socialising or for a meal. And vice versa.
Ironic as it may seem, technology is arguably one of the biggest weapons businesses have to boost footfall. These days, local SEO so your business appears on ‘near me’ Google searches (with those little pins in a Google Map) is just as important as signposting your business physically around your local area.
Window displays and signage are being transformed by interactive technologies such as touchscreens, AR and AI. Instead of having a menu pinned up outside your restaurant, how about letting potential customers scroll through high-definition images of your dishes, or have an AI host talk them through what’s available based on their preferences? Or instead of having outfits displayed on manikins in a boutique window, how about letting passing customers see how they look on them using AR?
Arguably the most important way technology can help to boost footfall is by enabling you to run efficient, simple loyalty schemes. Where loyalty schemes traditionally fall down is when they place too much of an onus on customers to remember their membership card or know when they have points to redeem. The latest digital loyalty schemes are light touch, highly efficient and simple. Run from your POS, you can automatically identify customers, log points and flag up when rewards can be redeemed when they present their payment card or mobile wallet. The easier it is for customers to ‘stay loyal’, the more they will come back.