How to Drive Foot Traffic to Your Brick-and-Mortar Store: 3 Tactics
With e-commerce on the rise, it’s now easier than ever for consumers to ignore brick-and-mortar stores and choose to shop online instead. It provides convenience because you don’t even have to leave the house. However, that doesn’t mean people don’t want the experience of shopping for products, looking at them up close and testing them in real time.
According to Harvard Business Review, encouraging customers to visit your store requires providing them a pleasant experience. If you can give consumers something they can’t get when shopping online, it’s easier to persuade them to come to your location.
Let’s look at three ways you can drive more foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar store.
1. Add your business to search.
When people want to find local businesses to cater to their shopping needs, they turn to search engines. A surefire way to encourage customers to visit your store is by verifying your business on search platforms so it’s easy to find.
When a customer searches on Google for a specific business, they see a directory pop up with a list of stores that match their criteria. If you don’t verify your business through Google My Business, customers won’t see it and will likely go somewhere else. It also ensures that your store shows up on Google Maps so it’s easy for people to locate.
Along with your location, the listing also includes important information such as customer reviews, a phone number, photos and more. All of these details put together inform potential customers about what they can expect from your brand when they come in. If they like what they see, they’re likelier to stop by.
2. Host an in-store event.
When you hold an event that’s exclusively in store, it leaves no room for interested customers not to drop by. They know they can’t get the same experience by ordering online, so it encourages them to come in and participate.
Depending on your industry, there are several types of events you can organize to encourage more foot traffic. For example, if you own a yoga studio that also sells yoga-related products, you can host a free class to persuade people to check out your store. Not only does this encourage customers to join, but it also gives them an excuse to shop around and make purchases.
You can also take advantage of other events to host, such as product launches, contests, games and much more. If you know what your target audience wants or is most interested in, it’ll be easy to come up with an event idea that resonates with them.
3. Offer in-store promotions.
What better way to drive traffic into your store than incentivizing the action? In-store promotions are a great way to encourage people to stop in because they gives customers an enticing offer. Those who are especially money-conscious will want to take advantage of the opportunity to save on their favorite products.
Offer promotions that are exclusively in-store so that the only way customers can receive a discount is by physically coming in. It’s a win for both parties: Your business generates extra revenue, and your customers save on their purchases.
It’s important to promote any sales your store currently offers so customers know about them. Use email, social media, store signs and your website to inform and encourage consumers to drop by and take advantage of a great deal. People are constantly looking for new ways to save money, so if you give them an offer they can’t refuse, they’re sure to take advantage.
Over to you.
Driving foot traffic to your physical location is essential to boost sales and grow your business. However, if you aren’t getting enough people into your store, it’s important to incentivize them to come in. By verifying your business in search, organizing in-store events and offering promotions exclusive to your location, you give customers reasons to walk through the door.
How will you bring more customers into your brick-and-mortar store this year?
Jared Atchison is the co-founder of WPForms, a drag & drop form builder for WordPress that's being used on over 400,000 websites.
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