Although brick and mortar offers several advantages over ecommerce, it can still be tough to bring in foot traffic. Sure, your customers can touch, feel, and see your products IRL before they buy, which they can’t do online. And they can take their purchases home immediately rather than waiting days or weeks for delivery (ugh).
But there’s still no shortage of brick and mortar stores – no shortage of competition. Even then, sometimes retailers are their own worst enemies. But that’s not how it has to be. You CAN get customers to walk into your store, buy what you’re selling, and even spend more while they’re in store. Seriously.
The in-store marketing ideas described in this week’s business tips of the day blog post will help.
Display an item that customers just HAVE to take a picture with
Whether it’s a life-size display of a celebrity, a hilarious meme they can pop their head in, or a giant piece of cheese, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of social media and picture taking.
If you have a younger audience especially, this is a great way to get them in store. They won’t be able to resist the opportunity to get a hilarious picture to share with their friends. And they might just buy something on the way out. Plus, it’ll make your store look busy and poppin’ too.
Bonus points if you get customers to use a hashtag to tag your store in their pics.
Partner with local artists and sell local products
Studies show that people are more likely to support local businesses, and they’re willing to pay more for local products. So, one of the great in-store marketing ideas we have for you today is to sell local products.
There are no doubt tons of local artists and entrepreneurs near you. Reach out and find them, and offer them space in your store to sell their crafts and products. This will give you some goodwill, attract customers who care about local products, and help you spread the word about your business among the artists’ networks, too.
Share reviews in store
People love checking out reviews when comparing items to buy. It’s one of the top reasons to buy online. But customer reviews certainly aren’t exclusive to ecommerce.
You can make an entire wall a chalkboard and allow customers to write reviews of your products (or you can write down online reviews you’ve received). You can add review cards to shelves or even use virtual reality to share online reviews in real time.
People will think it’s cool that you’re implementing aspects of omnichannel shopping, and they’ll trust your store more because of it, too. It’s one of those great in-store marketing ideas no one is really capitalizing on yet.
Start a loyalty program
Like so many other shoppers, I’m guilty of going back to the same store again and again to get the perks associated with a loyalty card. It really doesn’t take much effort to add a loyalty program functionality onto a smart payment terminal like Poynt, so you can start giving discounts, free gifts, and other benefits to loyal shoppers to come back time and time again.
Plus, a loyalty program gives you the ability to gain your customers’ contact info, which you can then use for further marketing emails, mail-ins, and more.
A killer window display
Try to be objective and walk by your store...
Would YOU walk in? If you have a boring window display, the answer is probably “no.”
Honestly, creative window displays are an art form, so there’s no reason to feel down if yours isn’t as great as it could be right now. But you are losing out on prime marketing space if you don’t take steps to make it look cooler, more eye-catching, and more amazing (you can do it!).
You have plenty of options to consider with this space. Showcase your best products using a funny spin, implementing a pop culture reference, creating a holiday theme, or doing anything else you come up with that’ll make people stop to check it out.
Display your markdowns
You might not want to hear it, but it does pay to mark down your products. Now, you don’t need to do this on a daily or weekly basis, but it pays to mark down items and put them on sale every now and then.
Often, a big red poster displaying a 50% markdown is enough marketing to stop shoppers in their tracks – which is the first step to getting them inside your store.
Consider markdowns for special occasions, slow days, and ends of seasons. It can boost sales and give you more room on your floor to sell hot and trendy new items.
Hold an in-store event
If you own a store that sells cookware, consider sponsoring a cooking class! If you sell exercise gear or equipment, consider hosting a weekly yoga class. Offer your space for a charitable event or an adopt-a-pet-a-thon. There are endless ways to get creative when it comes to hosting themed events, classes or parties at your store.
Offer nifty gifties, a door prize, or coupons at the door for registered event attendees. This is one of those in-store marketing ideas that might take time and effort to plan but it can really set you apart from the competition.
A final piece of advice: A/B test your marketing ideas
One of the benefits of ecommerce is that it’s so easy to track every behaviour, every click, and every purchase. That allows ecommerce business owners to continuously improve the customer experience and make more sales based on data and analytics.
You can do it too with your in-store marketing. Just A/B test the types of deals you offer, the placement of products on the shelf, and the products you put near the register. You can even go as far as to A/B test the colour of your promo posters, too.
A/B testing will help you understand which in-store marketing ideas are working and which aren’t.
Well, that's it. This week's business tips of the day blog post delved into some of the best marketing strategies retailers can use to bring in more foot traffic and boost sales.
