Do you run a retail store and want to boost sales? If YES, here are 10 best customer engagement activities to increase the time and money spent in your retail store.
If you run a retail business, one major strategy you need to generate sales and keep the business going is to ensure that you increase your customer engagement and increase the time your customers spend in your shop. The truth is that the more time a customer spends in your shop, the greater the chances of them spending more.
Time they say is money, hence the more time your customer spends in your shop, the greater the amount they are likely going to dole out from their pocket. Any retailer that knows how to engage their customers and make them spend more time in their store without undue pressure will always be ahead of his or her competitors.
So, if you own a retail store and you want to improve your customer engagement and increase time and amount spent in your retail store, then you will find these activities highly useful.
10 Best Activities for a Retail Store That Will Improve Customer Engagement and Increase Time and Money Spent in the Retail Store
- Offer Free Wi-Fi
In recent time, one of the most effective means of engaging your customers and making them spend more time in your store is to ensure that you provide free WI – FI. Studies shows that 62 percent of businesses reported that customers spend more time in-store after they introduced free Wi-Fi.
The truth is that if you can successfully engage your customers and make them spend more time in your store it could lead to more sales and engagement with your brand. Please note that you should be strategic so as not to attract none paying customers just because of free WI – FI.
- Provide Free Charging Ports and USB Chargers
Another very important tip that you need to consider if you want to improve customer engagement and thereby increase the time and amount spent in your retail store, is to provide free charging ports and USB chargers. If you have visited public facilities, you will notice the crowds of people that gather around charging stations at such facilities.
In this era where statistics show that about 72 percent of Americans and 67 percent of Canadians own a smartphone means that charging ports and even USB chargers will be useful in attracting and keeping customers in your retail store.
- Carve Out Relaxation Spot or Lounge Areas Inside Your Store
If you have spare space in your retail store, then one of the ways of increasing activities in your retail store, improving customer engagement and increasing time and amount spend in your store is to carve out a relaxation spot or lounge area.
No doubt, shopping can be stressful and one of the ways of making it less stressful is to give your customers the opportunity to relax. Just ensure that you also provide entertainment options and refreshments, as well as other comforts.
Television can be a great way to make customers feel at home. If you sell sporting goods, it won’t be a bad idea to tune in to sport channels that shows live matches. If you run a fashion retail store, it won’t be a bad idea if you have fashion channels airing in your lounge area.
- Create a Fun Zone for Children
If you run a children’s retail store, one of the ways of improving your customer engagement and increasing the time and amount spent in your store is to ensure that you create children’s fun zone.
Even if you don’t run a children’s retail store, you can still leverage on this idea to increase activity in your retail store because sometimes parents go shopping with their kids and they will be glad to get the kids entertained while they shop. Please note that if you can get children entertained in your store, you would have succeeded to making their parents spend more time in your shop.
- Offer Free Amendments
If you run a boutique or a clothing store, one of the ways you can increase the time and amount spent in your store is to offer free amendments. If you sell clothes, you cannot rule out the fact that customers cannot always get the perfect fit, hence the need for them to make little alterations. If you offer free amendments, such customers would spend more time in your store and you never can rule out the possibility of them making additional purchase.
- Make Use of Social Proof
Another important tip that will help you increase activities in your store is to ensure that you make use of social proof. Social proof means showing your customers that celebrities or V.I.Ps shop in your store. For example, if a celebrity or public figure shops in your retail store, you should be able to show your new customers that there are in the right place because so and so celebrities or public figure usually shops in your store.
- Train Your Staff to Engage Your Customers
You must be deliberate if you want to increase the time and amount spent in your retail store, and you should ensure that you train your staff to always engage your customers whenever they come shopping in your store. It is your staff that has the capacity to really engage your customers, get useful information from them and also persuade them to spend more time in your store making purchases.
So, when recruiting sales boys and girls in your retail store, ensure that you hire people that have confidence and people who can freely express themselves and engage others.
- Hire Adequate Number of Employees
If you run a retail store that attracts traffic, one of the means of improving customer engagement and increasing time and amount spent in your store is to ensure that you have the right number of staff per time. In essence, you should staff according to traffic, not just sales. If you have adequate employees, they will be able to more effectively engage customers without keeping anyone of them waiting for too long. With that, you will be able to make more sales.
- Create Hydration Station in Your Store
Another means of increasing activities in your retail store thereby increasing the time and amount spent in your store is to make sure that you create a hydration station; a place where your customers can drink water when they are thirsty.
All that you need is a water dispenser and disposable cups. It might not be expensive to set up a hydration center, but trust me, the impact it will have on your customers cannot be quantified. For example, a customer who plans to spend 30 minutes in your store can be forced to rush out if they are thirsty.
- Play Music in Your Store
Lastly, one of the ways you can leverage on to increase time and amount spent in your store is to ensure that you play music in your store. In order to get it right with this idea, you should ensure that you conduct a research to find out what type of music your customer base usually listens to and ensure that you play such music in your retail store.
You never can tell, some customers might come into your store for the love of the music you play and end up spending more time and money in your store.