With the rapid and exponential growth of the e-commerce sector, it can be easy to overlook the importance of physical premises in retail. Small shops and businesses are vital for the local economy and provide jobs for the local workforce. Retail firms that relied on physical premises were some of the hardest hit forms of the industry during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. As they relied on physical stores, they lost significant amounts of money when movement restrictions and government-imposed lockdowns were in effect. For some small retail firms, this forced them to close permanently as they could not recoup the losses that were incurred during the pandemic. Thankfully, the worst effects of the virus seem to have now passed and disruptions are now virtually non-existent. The physical retail sector is now beginning to enjoy a period of growth as customer footfall levels return to normal. If you own a small retail firm that relies on customers visiting your physical premises, you will know how important it is to maximize customer footfall. In this article, some key tips and strategies will be explored that aim to result in increased customers for your retail premises.
Upgrade the on-site parking
Modern consumers will typically visit retail premises by traveling to the store in their private vehicle. For example, in America, it is estimated that 88% of households will use a car for shopping trips. This allows consumers to buy heavy or bulky goods and transport them home effectively. From the perspective of retail firms, your store must have on-site parking. Put simply, customers will not make routine trips to your store by car if they have to park a significant distance from the shop and carry heavy goods back to their vehicle. In addition, a damaged or poorly maintained car park will also detract potential customers from visiting as it may convince them that the shop is of a similar poor quality. If the parking facilities for your store are in a poor state of repair, it is important to take action to rectify this. Professional asphalt maintenance firms such as this can be found at https://mcconnellassociates.org/asphalt/maintenance-sealcoating-services/. Such companies will be able to restore the condition of your parking area, making it look and perform like new. Potholes can be repaired, cracked asphalt can be filled and sealed and the overall result will help improve the look of your premises. In short, ensure that your on-site parking facilities can adequately support your visitor volume and that they remain in excellent condition.
Train staff effectively
Your in-store staff will typically be the first point of contact with customers. They will be needed to complete sales and provide advice when customers have a question or query about a product. It is incredibly important that all customer-facing staff receive effective training in customer service. They should be attentive to the customers’ needs, present a pleasant demeanor, and should be highly knowledgeable about the products that your store sells. If a customer feels that they need to complain to the store, the customer service staff should have the training and expertise to enable them to take details of the complaint, which can then be escalated to management. In short, your customer service team will play a key role in cultivating repeat customers in your store. By being attentive to customer needs and helping to solve problems or answer questions they will encourage repeat visits to be made. All new starters should receive comprehensive staff training in customer service, and this should be refreshed annually as part of an ongoing mandatory training schedule.
Consider loss leaders
A key strategy in many forms of retail is to sell products that are known as loss leaders. Put simply, these products are sold at a price that is typically lower than their production costs. As the name suggests, the business will make a loss with each unit of this product sold. At first, the concept of loss leaders in retail sounds counterproductive. Why would a business sell products at a loss? The reason for this is that retail experts recognize the value of loss leaders in attracting increased customer numbers to the store. They will come to buy the undervalued product but will likely make other purchases while they are there. These additional purchases help to minimize the loss on the undervalued product and allow the business to make a profit from the customer’s visit. All retail firms should consider stocking a small range of loss leader products as a way to increase visitor numbers to their store.
