8 Ways to Increase Foot Traffic in Your Small Business Store

 

In today’s day and age, it’s essential for small businesses to have a well developed website so their target audience can find them online. However, small businesses also need to know how to increase foot traffic in store to maintain steady revenue growth. 

 

Here are 8 ways to increase foot traffic in your small business store:

 

1. Prioritize the Appearance of Your Store

2. Invest in Employee Training

3. Have a Fully Functional Website

4. Offer Discount Product Shipping Locations

5. Create a Google My Business Page

6. Be Active on Social Media

7. Hold Classes or Relevant Events

8. Have a Customer Loyalty Program 

 

 

1. Prioritize the Appearance of Your Store

 

Just like your store website needs to be well-managed, well-designed, and well-organized, your store location needs to be visually appealing if you want to increase customer foot traffic. Specifically your storefront (your doors, windows, and business name sign) needs to be clean and eye catching.

 

Make sure your business name and logo are big, clear, and up front. That should be the first thing a customer sees when they look at your store. Consider having a neon “open” sign to place in a main window or list your business hours on your main door. If you’re able, have displays of your products or services in your window front to attract walk ins and peak their interest.

 

 

2. Invest in Employee Training

 

If your employees are going to properly represent your business and its values, they need to be well trained. Your employees need to be able to assist your customers in every way and act as advocates for your business.

 

Customer service will go a long way in attracting and keeping long term customer relationships, so you need to make sure your employees are knowledgeable about your products, services, and processes. Your employees will help to create connections with those customers that come into your store and set the tone of your store’s environment. Many times, it’s the service and interactions with employees that your customers will remember and latch onto the most.

 

 

3. Have a Fully Functional Website

 

As we talked about in the introduction, having both a functional physical store and a website is essential for small business success. If your target audience doesn’t have the time to visit your store or wants to do research on what you do as a company, they’re going to search your website. Your website should be able to answer all their questions and eliminate their concerns. 

 

 

Your website needs to be optimized for search and be mobile friendly, designed with user experience in mind, and clearly state your mission statement as well as provide a detailed list of your products or services.

 

If you’re a retail store, creating comprehensive product pages for your website where web visitors can research and buy them online can increase your sales revenue dramatically. For many people, shopping online is more convenient and quicker. Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to increase sales revenue!

 

 

4. Offer Different Product Shipping Locations

 

Customers appreciate variety and accommodation when working with a business. One of the biggest accommodations a small business can make for its customers is offering a variety of options for pick up and shipment location. An increasing amount of online shoppers don’t want packages delivered to their homes and would rather pick them up in-store, or sent to a different location.

 

You should offer those options to your customers, and if possible, free of charge as well. Offering in-store pick up may also act as an incentive for your customers to browse your store, thereby increasing your in-store foot traffic, and add to their purchase when they come to pick up their order.

 

 

5. Create a Google My Business Page

 

A Google My Business Page is a great way to advertise your small business store in local online searches. A fully optimized Google business page contains information like your physical business’ address, phone number, hours, website address, photos, business description, and customer reviews.

 

 

 

If an online searcher’s query is location specific (like “ X stores near me”), your Google My Business page will appear in the SERP results if you meet the keyword and location description. Google will match a searcher’s query with keywords that you optimize for in your business page, so it’s important that you provide as much information as possible. If you want to increase foot traffic in store, you need to optimize your website for your target audience’s searches. 

 

 

6. Be Active on Social Media

 

Creating a social media account is an easy and effective way to spread the word about your store, your products, and any promotions or special events you’ll be having. You need to figure out which social media platforms your target audience and customers frequent the most and utilize them to show off your business. There’s nothing like posting about a special sale or new product to increase foot traffic to your retail store! 

 

Depending on the type of small business you are and the products or services you provide, you can create a Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, or Instagram account. However, most every business, regardless of industry or market, should have a Facebook and LinkedIn account.

 

Facebook is the most widely used social media site with 2.23 billion active accounts. LinkedIn is not always considered a “standard social media site”, but is seen as an online resume, networking, and endorsement platform for business. By creating and then frequently posting on your social media accounts, you can promote your small business for free!

 

 

7. Hold Classes or Relevant Events

 

If you want to attract customers to your small business store, you need to give people a reason to go there! Try holding classes or special events at your store’s location, and don’t forget to advertise them ahead of time too!

 

If you’re a clothing retailer, you can host an exclusive holiday sale for active customers where they can receive special discounts. If you’re a product or service retailer, manufacturer, or distributor, you can host a training event, a product demonstration, or a discussion panel to help answer some questions your customers may have about your products and services.

 

The point of holding these special events is to connect with your customer base and increase brand awareness in your local community. If people start to recognize your brand name, they’ll be more likely to visit your store!

 

 

8. Have a Customer Loyalty Program

 

A great way to make sure customers keep coming back to your store is to reward them when they make a purchase. Just like a coffee shop card where you can get a free cup of coffee after a certain amount of orders, you can do the same.

 

 

For example, you can offer your customers 10% off their tenth purchase or maybe offer a complimentary gift during the holidays. Another popular loyalty program idea is to offer a discount to your customer and to those they refer to your business. That way, you’re rewarding your current customers and spreading brand awareness to others, giving you the opportunity to create new relationships.

 

Show your customers that they matter and that you appreciate their continued businesses with your company. This little show-of-appreciation can go a long way to gaining you long term customers!

 

 

In Conclusion

 

You’re online store is important, but don’t forget to prioritize your physical store as well. For your small business to succeed long-term, you need to know how to increase foot traffic in store too!

 

Excite and interest your customers with special deals and programs! Increase your brand awareness by using social media and providing special events! Just like you do online, prioritize your customers to keep them coming back.