Ideas to bring more traffic into your shop this Autumn

As we enter October we know that the shorter days are only weeks away, and it won’t be long before the clocks change and we’ll be “falling back” into Autumn. As the British weather gets cooler, the days of shorts and t-shirts are slowly ebbing away and many of us will be reaching for the jumpers and coats once again. Autumn and winter is the ideal time to drive new traffic and custom into your shop. Here are just a few ideas to bring more traffic into your shop this Autumn.

Hold an Autumnal promotional event

As we enter the early stages of the Autumnal season, now is the perfect opportunity to showcase your latest items in store using promotional rails and other such avenues. Many people will have just been paid and will invariably be looking for some new attire for the season ahead. To really make the most of your promotional event why not promote it to a bigger audience such as social media, or maybe do some dual branding awareness with another local business? It is important to make sure the promotional event is fun to entice repeat custom and this is where dual branding or collaborating with another business can really give it that “extra push.”

Have a loyalty program in the run up to Christmas

Loyalty programs are a great tool for retailers; they provide important insights into customer shopping habits. An easy-to-understand, well-designed and attractive loyalty scheme can help you and your business to keep more of your customers without ending up in a situation where you’re just giving away products or services for free and losing money unnecessarily. In addition to this it will offer insightful information on what brands, trends or lines are selling particularly well. Extensive research has shown having loyalty programs also means your customers are generally happier in your shop. You could also incorporate this into tweets or broadcast this on other social media platforms.

Encourage customers to visit your store

Even as something as simple as offering a warm cup of coffee or playing some music will encourage customers to feel more relaxed. On a wet cold day in October, customers often don’t need an excuse to get inside, but introducing something as simple as a member of staff serving a warm drink coupled with a smile can go such a long way to building customer retention. It shows you are passionate about them whilst building a relaxed shopping environment.

Introduce contactless payments

Accepting card payments is a norm for most reputable businesses, but if you aren’t accepting contactless payments then maybe you need to sit down and take a revised strategy. Going back to an earlier point where we mentioned about creating a relaxed atmosphere – when a customer has options on how they can pay for goods, it is likely to build for a better relationship. Two years ago in 2016 it was reported there were on average 469 transactions per second and that figure will have risen as has been the popularity in contactless technology. If you already accept card payments then finding a contactless card machine should be incredibly easy and with the vast array of payment terminals available you won’t be restricted into choosing set terminals. It is always good to ensure you choose a reputable payment provider who deliver the latest in card machine technology which also extends to technical support.

Put popular but inexpensive items by the entrance

It sounds simple but some businesses still don’t act on it. Driving potential custom and sales through impulse purchases is a great way to get customers over the threshold and into your store.  Once customers have made a purchase regardless of the cost, they are indeed more likely to purchase additional items. It is what is commonly known by psychologists as shopping “mindset” and this is why many retailers opt to put popular or high selling items by the store entrance.

What tips would you share to bring more traffic into your shop this Autumn? As ever please comment below or email us.