Just like the online e-commerce space has become saturated and competitive, so has the retailing space in India. Today, customers have too many options to choose from. Even if your retail store is offering discounts, chances are your competition is doing it too. You can’t anymore just rely on one strategy.

You need to take a multi-channel approach to get more walk-ins in your retail store or increase your foot traffic.

The pandemic saw even the least tech-savvy people shopping online, it was one of the consequences of Covid 19. With the pandemic slowly receding, and stores opening up for retail and in-person shopping, consumers have been expecting even more personalized shopping experiences. 

In this age, you probably would be doing everything you can digitally, but as I said, consumers have been expecting personal experiences. So, I have come up with a list of a few offline marketing ideas you can use to get more foot traffic to your store and ultimately increase your sales.

1. Use eye catchy signages to attract more customers to your retail store

Some of you might wonder, what exactly are signages? Well, you might recall seeing some chalkboards (especially outside cafes or restaurants) mentioning the day’s specials? Those are signages.

They are cheap, and you can go crazy on the creativity there and make people stop (literally) and read. 

You could use this to promote a deal, a new product, or a sale. If you want to attract people to your store, you need to get creative and not just go and post a ‘SALE’ sticker on your store.

Look at the picture below, if you notice, the content is quirky and it makes you want to stop.

Now, even if you are not in the mood to drink, you will remember this signage and when you actually do have the time to go out, this will probably be the first bar you may think of.

Signages have proven to be an effective marketing medium to boost sales for retail businesses and it’s a cost-effective outdoor advertising media.

While outdoor advertising has proven to be effective for retail businesses, there are certain challenges and myths around outdoor advertising. Here are what these outdoor advertising myths are.

2. Keep up with seasons and festivals to increase your retail store’s sales

There are a lot of ways you as a retail store can leverage seasonal offers and I am sure they never crossed your mind. 

For example, if you’re a food retail business in India, during winter, you could offer deals on hot chocolate or drinks that keep you warm, or if a particular fruit grows during that time, you could have deals that include the fruit (Example, the mango season during summer)

The same goes for festivals. Get that Christmas tree, or the diyas during Diwali, make a rangoli, and keep it festive! People like it when they get homely vibes in a store and they will keep it in mind. This can help you boost your retail store’s sales significantly.

Another season to look out for is the back-to-school season. The ones who are still in school and college need almost everything. The backpacks, pens, and books go without saying, but they need laptops, and new apparel, Kids living far from home need good homely food. 

Leverage this season! Offer them deals they can’t resist and you will most definitely notice a rise in foot traffic in your store.

The fall, summer, and winter seasons are also some amazing opportunities to come up with new collections, be it in apparel, tech or food.  A good example of this is the Forever New brand that keeps revamping its collection every season.

3. Offer group discounts to bring new customers

People love shopping with their friends and family. Personally speaking, I have never gone shopping alone. You could offer deals on days like mothers day where moms shop with their children, or friendship days. 

Group deals on things we use every day, like earphones etc can go a long way to get people to your store.  There are research papers on this subject that suggest that group discounts in turn get more attention to your store and help you sell faster

4. Hold classes or events to boost your store’s engagement

You could teach something you have learnt or just put together an event. Such events can increase footfall and subsequently, sales too. 

Let me give you a fictional example, in the popular show called Schitt’s creek, David and Patrick host an open mic night at their store and they see a rise in sales following the open mic. 

This is exactly the kind of events I am talking about, a yoga class, a digital marketing workshop, a DIY workshop, and cooking yourself a day at your restaurant will all work towards getting the sales and footfall of your store up.

5. Multi-purpose retail experiences

Introducing a cafe in the store is a nice idea to get more customers interested to come in and some of them may just be your potential customers. 

The blend of retail and bistro experiences opens up the entryways for new crowds that wouldn’t ordinarily come into your store. Repurposing a section of your store to present a cafe or even an eatery sets out opportunities for community building

Conclusion: 

I am not sure if you observed this but the key to all the ideas we discussed above is making your client or your customer feel special.

 Get ideas that are in sync with your business model and give your clients personalized experiences. If the customer is regular, take the effort to remember their name, address them by it, and ask them how they are doing. Small things will take your brand a long way and will create an everlasting impact on your customers. 

Stores have forever been a resource for retail businesses, and they will keep on being. Nonetheless, the strategic significance of these spaces has moved toward conveying