It’s a big challenge to own a retail store nowadays. The business success depends on sales, and you need customers to enter to sell something. It’s why you could benefit from reading about the best ways to increase walk-ins in your retail store. Check out these ideas that could drive more visitors to your business premises!

Use Eye-Catching Signage

Your retail shop could be in a mall or busy street. The window might not be big compared to neighboring stores, so it’s not easy to make it attractive. The solution is to design event signages that improve the attendee experience. Signage offers excellent value for money, especially if you get creative with it. The idea is to grab people’s attention even if they are passing by the store in a rush.

Here are some ways to use signage to enhance the attendee’s experience:

• Entrance signage. You can put a sign on the mall’s or the store’s entrance. It helps to put a promotion or product in the spotlight, but even welcoming visitors can be successful.
• Sandwich boards outside the store. You need to check whether you aren’t violating any regulations first. And if you aren’t, using a sandwich board outside the shop makes your business more noticeable. More people will notice it as they are approaching, and if they like what’s written there, they won’t hesitate to enter.
• Directional signs. These should go at least several feet from your store. Let’s say your shop is at the corner farthest from the mall’s entrance. You can put directional signage in a nearby location with heavy foot traffic.

Personalize Your Goods

Can you engrave the customer’s name on your product? We love hearing and seeing our names everywhere, and you can use this to your advantage. Personalizing an item will make it more attractive for a shopper. Other ways to personalize things include putting a specific band or sports motives on clothing and other items.

If you have a loyalty program, you have valuable information about the shoppers. Use that to personalize communication (using their names once again) and offers and products. Even making a discount referring to a specific person could be a successful strategy to make them come to the store!

Trends and Seasons at Your Retail Store

The market is constantly changing, and adaptation is necessary to survive. Following the current trends is an excellent way to boost walk-ins in your retail store.

For example, Money Heist was a huge pop culture trend in autumn 2021 because the show’s last season aired then. Many stores have jumped on board and started offering hoodies and other merchandise inspired by the series. From unique clothing designs to jewelry pieces, you could see Money Heist items in stores everywhere.

Your goal is to consider how the current trends fit your store niche. Apart from designing products, consider promoting them in your shop’s window. The more people notice you have a trendy product, the more visitors you’ll have. And avoid overdoing it – it’s enough to focus on a single trend. Otherwise, it might seem too much and create confusion for the customers.

The Importance of Following Seasons

If you own a bookstore, the time when kids are coming back to school is crucial. Apart from promoting fitting books, you can offer backpacks, and other relevant items pupils might need. If Halloween is around the corner and you own a jewelry store, why not offer a necklace with a pumpkin pendant? If it seems fitting, Halloween decorations could attract users to your shop.

It might be enough to decorate shop windows to be in line with the current season. During the summer, use plenty of green and other light colors. Leaves and other autumn decorations can also make your window beautiful. It’s the visual attractiveness that will make a potential visitor look into the window and later enter your shop.

Encourage Social Shares and Location Tagging

Here is another trick how the technology can serve to your advantage. Social networks have become an integral part of our lives, so how about encouraging customers to mention your store online? You could organize a competition where participants need to tag themselves in your store to have a chance to win a prize. You can create a special social media wall where customers can take photos of the items they tried or bought.

And don’t forget about the importance of inviting visitors to follow you on social media. You might have a retail store, but internet presence is still crucial to attracting shoppers.

Partner with Influencers or Experts

Online stores might be your competition, but there’s no reason why you wouldn’t leverage the power of the internet to attract customers. The old-fashioned way is to pay for an advertisement on an influencer’s profile on social networks. But how about taking it a step further and inviting that influencer to your store?

You want to find someone famous enough, especially in your area. Also, they should be relevant to your niche. If you get the right influence, you can attract massive foot traffic in hours. The celebrity could photograph with the visitors or sign the products they buy. You can even contact an industry expert to hold a short speech or class in your store. It’s all about finding people that fit your shop and niche.

Host Events in Your Retail Store

Calling an influencer isn’t the only event your store can host. Can your shop sponsor an activity or event by being its host? Clothing stores seem to have the most options. You can invite a particular designer or brand to hold a fashion show in your shop. And if you sell sports supplements, how about asking some loyal customers to gather and show off their success? They could talk first-hand about their experience with your products.

Don’t Forget Your Existing Customers At Your Retail Store

Once you get the shoppers to your store, you need to establish and maintain a relationship. For example, asking them to sign to your SMS or mailing list to get a 10% discount is an excellent marketing trick for a first-time visit.

You can follow up by giving an additional but time-limited discount if they return in the next seven days. And if you don’t have a record of them buying anything for a month, send an SMS reminder. However, make sure to include something enticing, like a new product mention, complimentary items, etc.