Want to drive foot traffic to your store that won't cost an arm and a leg?
Forbes business magazine asked some of their key members to share some of their marketing tactics for brick-and-mortar stores. Their best recommendations are below.
1. Provide an offer for free that goes with your brand.
"One of the best ways to attract new customers is to offer something enticing. This could be anything from a free cup of coffee to a discount, to free Wi-Fi, to personalised customer service appointments. The offer should be aligned with your brand".
- Lisa W, Benchworks
Pro tips for menswear retail stores:
Bring a friend & get a discount promotion. Try offering a promotion where to receive a discount a customer must bring a paying friend with them. This is a great way to introduce your store to new customers and increase your foot traffic. You could also run a promotion on a group buy and ask your customers to team up with four of their mates to get up to 5% each off a Suit.
Build effective community partnerships. Partner up with a bridal or a barbershop, a fitness centre or someone selling wellness products. Offer their members a voucher for your store, and you can do the same for them. The idea is to work with partners that can send you traffic.
Offer a fun experience. If you have enough space, create a photo or video area in your store. Customers could come in and place their phone on an available pre-set tripod. Allow them to change the backdrop in their videos or photo to their liking. Backdrops could range from: outer space to a palm tree-lined boulevard (choose what works for your brand when introducing your new summer arrivals). Once the videos or photos are shot customers can easily share videos with others on social, mentioning your store of course.
Offer parents a calm shopping experience. If your customers are also young parents, offer a shopping experience that works for them. Section off a part of your store for a kids play area. Have some awesome games available in-store, or set up a small movie theatre that the kids can not resist. This will allow the dads to truly focus on what matters, spending cash at your store:)
2. Turn your store into a ‘Brand Temple’.
"We’re headed into a world in which e-commerce captures a growing market share. Brick-and-mortar shops should become “brand temples,” strengthening the brand and enriching the customer experience, without much stock. Consumers want to get off of their couch and go explore the world, but when it comes to retail, store experiences are often not worth leaving the house for, since we can find and purchase online so easily. In this digital generation, retailers need to create memorable interactive experiences that take people beyond shopping and make their store a destination in order to drive foot traffic".
- Rónan Kent, RJ MTM
Pro-tip for menswear retail stores:
Create memorable store experiences. Brick and mortars must be creative in attracting and retaining customers. By introducing new devices like smart mirrors or interactive iPads, retailers can merge their physical presence with the online world to create the ultimate shopping experience in their store. Creating a more personalised, frictionless and interactive customer experience. With a new retail solution, like what we provide, retailers are able to serve customers with the exact garments that they like. Offering customers the option to easily customise garments, choose their style and size as they like in-store.
3. Host in-store experiences that your dream customer likes.
"At Adore Me, we’ve seen that physical stores give us an opportunity to really connect with customers and educate them about our brand and its values. Leveraging this opportunity and driving more foot traffic can be done by hosting in-store events for the specific demographics of the store location. Reach out to the local community ahead of the events through e-blasts and push-SMS".
Pro-tip for menswear retail stores:
Give people a chance to give back to the community. Host an event in partnership with a charity for those less fortunate. Allow people in your community to donate old clothes in your store in return for a discount at your store. This might also be an effective way to get some free media attention for once. Lighten up the mood by serving alcohol. Shoppers who have a bit of alcohol flowing might spend more money:)
4. Reach Consumers On Social First, Then Bring Them In
We’re seeing customers conduct product research online and then head to a physical store to purchase. As a brand, we have an opportunity to engage potential customers through social before, during and even after they buy our products. Whether that’s geo-targeted ads or push notifications about sales, driving in-store sales through social is key.
Pro-tip for menswear retail stores:
Host a “Willy Wonka golden ticket event”: Use your social media channels to promote an in-store competition. Hide a golden ticket behind the sale of an unknown garment from your spring line in your store. Aim to offer a prize that your customers would want to win. If they are GAA or football supporters, the prize could be two tickets to an up-and-coming match. Share and tag the winner on your social media.
When looking for innovative ways to attract customers to visit your brick-and-mortar location, get creative. As long as you have your finger on the pulse and understand your customer base, you can find unique opportunities to encourage them to visit your shop.
Read the full article by Forbes here
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