What Is Footfall And How To Increase Retail Footfall?

“What is footfall?” might be the most common question many retailers have wondered about. Understanding footfall allows every merchant to calculate other important metrics like conversion rate and average transaction value and forecast demand and staffing levels. This article will introduce the definition of footfall and some key points to increase retail footfall.

What is footfall?

Footfall is the measurement of the number of people entering a store or shopping mall, which is measured by time, such as per hour, day, week, or month. It is also known as People Counting, Shopper Counting, or traffic.

We can calculate other vital indicators that are critical for survival in today’s retail economy, such as Conversion Rates and ATV, by measuring how many visitors enter your store (Average Value Transaction). 

10 tips to increase footfall in store

Design a friendly storefront

If you understand “what is footfall”, you might know it is critical for your brand to generate a positive initial impression on passers-by. Enticing them to enter your business is a huge task. This entails developing a tidy, friendly, and appealing storefront.

You could also devote some more attention to aesthetic merchandising. Holidays and other celebrations will be especially essential once lockdown lifts, given the limits on social gatherings during the previous year. Creating seasonal window displays that celebrate these holidays, whether it’s Halloween, Valentine’s Day, or Christmas, and displaying your most popular goods, will help you improve foot traffic all year.

Consider relocating

It’s still unclear whether or not high-street footfall will fully recover from the epidemic, or how various regions will be affected. To preserve the survival of your retail business in the next months, you must be visible, accessible, and appealing to as many customers as possible. Although relocation is expensive, it may be the best option for your company. If you’re currently located in an area that lacks investment, fails to attract visitors, has a high percentage of vacant lots, or charges excessive business rates, shifting to a new location might significantly increase your customer visits and store sales in the long run.

Provide demonstrations and special offers

Taking your business out onto the streets and engaging with potential clients is also a good idea. 

Street marketing may stimulate store visits in a variety of methods, including product demonstrations, promotional posters, free samples, and discount coupons, all of which can be quite effective in increasing foot traffic. While Internet marketing has its benefits, face-to-face contacts with your target market may generate an emotional connection and a sense of customer trust that is difficult to replicate digitally.

Be COVID-secure 

Despite the easing of prohibitions, some customers are still hesitant to return to physical stores for health reasons. To reassure customers that shopping in-store is safe, all shops must develop a Covid-secure environment that adheres to social distancing and hygiene standards. There are several easy adjustments you can do to boost customer confidence and worker safety, such as creating a one-way system, putting checkout screens, and introducing contactless payment choices.

Offer a loyalty program

Why not launch a client loyalty program to improve your brand loyalty and increase repeat business? 

It’s a terrific way to keep your customers coming back again and again. Giving them prizes in exchange for their recurring business, whether you’re a small grocer or an indie bookseller, is a great customer engagement strategy. The consumer not only feels cherished, but they also have an incentive to return on a regular basis, which is critical for any business.

Create an online shopping channel

Online shopping would clear away waiting in lines or searching down cashiers to assist. The customer may finish shopping in minutes. Online stores allow everyone to shop at any time and reward the shoppers with a “pollution-free” shopping experience. Online purchases of downloadable things eliminate the need for any form of physical material, which is good for the environment!

It’s even better when your store can facilitate online shopping with the same experience as offline. And ConnectPOS can offer this seamless omnichannel experience between online and offline stores for any type of business.

Make use of local marketing

Direct mail, pamphlets, and magazine advertising are all effective ways to market your company to the local community. You may also purchase a street sign to display clear instructions to your company and special discounts in a high-traffic location. Local activities such as charity races, community fairs, and business breakfasts can also be sponsored. If you conduct some preliminary market research, you may discover the ideal chance to promote your brand to relevant individuals.

Team up with local companies

“What is footfall” is no longer a problem if you can partner with local businesses. Retailers frequently believe they compete with every other business in their neighborhood, although this isn’t always the case. Instead, you might be able to reap the benefits of collaborating with other local firms.

Consider how you may reach out to potential clients from frequent nearby companies that are linked to yours. Consider asking your local record shop if you may place some leaflets at their point of sale if you sell musical instruments and offer to do the same in return.

Take advantage of modern technologies

Even before the pandemic, merchants prioritized an omnichannel experience. Customers may interact with your brand over a variety of channels, from your website to your physical shop, without experiencing any hassle or disturbance. eCommerce solutions that allow customers to purchase online and pick up in person, or check product availability before visiting your store, for example, give convenient, flexible purchasing alternatives that generate foot traffic to your physical location.

Using technology to manage and safeguard employees and consumers has become increasingly vital throughout the epidemic. Consider developing a smart queuing system that allows consumers to queue digitally and minimize overcrowding to guarantee visitors may securely distance themselves while shopping. Long lines will be less frustrating, and people will be more ready to wait as a result.

Encourage customers to leave feedback

Finally, consider how much we all rely on Internet reviews to impact our purchasing decisions. Simply reading about someone else’s fantastic experience can provide you with extra social evidence. Now, many people might prefer your store more than others if your customers have great feedback on your business.

Conclusion

Now you might know “what is footfall”, how footfall is important, and how to increase this number in your business. If you are still wondering about this, don’t hesitate to call us right now. You will have the most useful advice from our dedicated supporters to boost up your sales.