When it comes to shopping, technology has cut a lot of hassle for us. Unlike the past generations, people have the facility to navigate through a website and buy stuff on the go. But online shopping has a fair share of downsides as well. For example, more and more consumers are voicing concerns regarding low product quality.
Since you can’t have the first-hand experience to touch the product, online stores are tricking people into purchasing by showing HD visuals. Besides, returning online orders is such a pain in the neck.
So if you own a brick and mortar general store, you would be thrilled to know all this. The reason behind this is that decline in online sales might boost foot traffic in physical stores. However, one could also take several other measures to jack up customers to a retail shop. We are narrowing down some of them in the following section:
1. Invest In Solid Advertising
Advertising is hands down the best way to uplift a business and let the maximum people know its presence. To begin with, you could consider coming up with eye-catching displays. Albeit old, this strategy has not lost luster over time.
Store owners are not typically well-versed regarding the optimal placement of billboards, posters, etc. They hang them just about anywhere and everywhere. That is a flawed strategy. You should pick locations for advertisements where existing or potential customers exist in abundance.
Tapping into social media is also a great way to grab attention. Again, you have to be smart enough to cherry-pick the right platform. Depending on the resources, store owners may pore over the option of hiring a social media team and run online paid promotions.
Aside from that, an optimized website could work as a promotional tool because an increasing number of customers are opting for local businesses these days. For example, if someone has entered Sevierville and wants to shop, he/she would type shopping in Sevierville to find suitable options.
2. Work On Curb Appeal
A report suggests that 70 percent of people visit a general store for the first time due to the curb appeal. That speaks volumes about the importance of curb appeal. If you want to understand this feature better, think of it as a user experience on a website. Customers do not shop from an online store with complex navigations or a dull layout. They will also not step into a brick and mortar shop with a low exterior setup.
Here are a bunch of reliable formulas to take your general store’s curb appeal to a whole new level:
- Make sure the shop looks open. Remove obstacles hindering the entrance view.
- Keep it well-lit so that people can spot it from a reasonable distance.
- Maintain cleanliness outside the shop. We recommend you to take the responsibility of removing dust or debris from the nearby sidewalks.
- Clearly describe what you sell. If someone can’t make out what the store has to offer, why will it motivate them to come inside? Hence, avoid being overtly creative to describe your business as customers might have difficulty fathoming it.
3. Pay Attention To The Employee Training:
Employees are an asset to any business. And general stores are no exception to that. You might be running give-away campaigns or offering hefty discounts. But if the staff is not cooperative or falling short of knowledge, all your efforts will come to naught.
Contrary to the common assumption, recruiting talented workers is not enough. You must emphasize their constant training because customer behavior is always fluctuating, and new products keep hitting the market regularly.
It bears worth mentioning that mapping out a one-size-fits-all training program is unlikely to be productive. Since every individual is different from the other, you are better off tailoring personalized training sessions. For example, some people learn the best through visuals, while others may better understand real-life examples.
4. Host events
It is a well-documented fact that people will shop more if you can somehow prolong their stay in your brick and mortar store. It stands particularly true for general stores because they have an array of items at their disposal. That is where hosting events could make a world of difference. Many renowned brands are doing the same, and you could quickly draw inspiration from them.
The event does not necessarily have to be related to your niche. As long as it provides value to customers, it is good to go.
The Concluding Remarks
Indeed, online shopping has surged in popularity. But that does not mean brick and mortar stores are out of the competition. There is still plenty of space to be capitalized by the conventional general stores. Over the years, savvy general store owners are executing the tricks mentioned above to increase the bottom line.