Five Questions For High Street Stores

With so many business focused on making sure their online is appeal is ticking all the right boxes, it’s very easy to forget that there are still very many offline, physical shop fronts that are under the same pressure to get their appeal just right for the customer off the street.

If you run a store and are looking for some fresh ways to attract business, then take a look at our top five tips toward fresh customer engagement on the high street.

1 A Sensory Experience

From the moment your potential customer walks into your shop, you should be looking at making it an experience that ticks multiple senses. Music that isn’t too loud or too quiet and that fits the ambiance and character of your store, a clean, fresh smell, displays that are eye catching and plenty of space to shop around, engaging with the products on offer.
Have eye catching effects everywhere, from clever floor lighting to creative hanging signs from ceiling fittings.

2 Get That Floor Plan Right

Drawing your customer in and helping to steer them around the best of your products is exactly what a good floor plan should do. You’re not guessing anything when it comes to layout, you’re using tried and tested methods that give you the best chance of engaging with your customer through displays in exactly the right areas of the shop that appeal to your particular style of customers. 

3 The Amount of Stock

This is a difficult one to answer and to get right and very much depends on how you market yourself and to whom. If, for example, you’re a clothing store appealing to the higher end of the market then less is certainly more and gives the impression of exclusivity. At the other end of the market, displaying a high volume of clothing gives the impression that there are bargains to be found and costs will be lower. Find your balance, depending on the type of customer you’re appealing to.

4 Get Your Staff Right

Nothing puts a customer off more than staff who just don’t get it right, first time. Too overbearing and your customer feels intimidated. Ignore the customer or fail to make eye contact and they’re aloof and disinterested. 

Train your staff, practice with them to get it just right. A genuine smile and a hello, an offer of assistance and you’ve broken down social barriers. The key is genuine warmth and if your staff don’t radiate that, they’re in the wrong shop.

5 Keep it Fresh

Like the seasons and the styles, make sure your displays are in a state of change. Reflect what the weather’s like, play on any big events going on in your city, for example a Pride festival, sporting events and so on and allow your creative side to come out in your store front. Inside, make sure to reflect the window and regularly change up rails.

Take on board these five great hacks and your offline offer will be every bit as anything you’ll see online.