No amount of window dressing (metaphorical or otherwise) can really take the place of a solid business plan when it comes to convincing shoppers to visit your physical retail outlet. Success in business is all about creating customer loyalty, which in turn allows you to expand your customer base. This takes deep consideration at every level; from the products you sell to staff you hire. That said, if you have a physical retail outlet stocked with customer-winning products, there is many little things you can do to influence passersby to make that one-second decision and pop into your store for a look.

This is the great thing about physical outlets. No matter how advanced internet technology and website interfaces have become, physical stores will always have the twin advantages of allowing customers to physically browse (virtual imitations of this pale in comparison) and allowing them to receive the product straightaway, holding it in their hands before they even buy it. You can think of these as the strengths of physical retail – and you should play to them.

Face-to-Face

The real reason why you want to attract first-time customers into your store is not just to make a sale, but also to give you the chance to impress them in a face-to-face setting. There is no online substitute for meeting people in the flesh. So much of communication between persons is non-verbal, and impressions are made much more fully between people who are meeting face-to-face. This can have one of two effects. It can thoroughly put customers off returning to your store or, alternatively, it can make the kind of homely, welcoming impression that all but ensures they return. Each of these impressions, the bad and the good, is made much more faintly in an online context.

Tips For Attracting Customers

So, how can you actually get customers to walk in. Here are some useful general tips for you to consider:

Stock “Impulse Buy” Products

Impulse buy products are a wonderful way to have a customer, on a whim, decide to enter your store. You should make these products cheap and easy. Buying products in bulk, such as wholesale sunglasses, is a terrific way ensure a plentiful supply of impulse buy products that can be sold cheaply. Olympic Eyewear, for example, are a company that sells bulk sunglasses that come in an assorted variety. Products that do this are perfect for the purpose of encouraging impulse buys.

Have a Well-lit Store Front

There is probably nothing that will more surely turn off a passing customer than a store that looks dingy and dark. Invest in big windows, bright lights, and clear presentation of your most attractive products.

Encourage Welcoming Employees

What this means, in practice, is encouraging a company environment where employees are satisfied and feel like the company is going somewhere. If you do this successfully, this will pass on to the customers they serve. Miserable staff is one of the surest ways to have people simply walk on by.

Cater to Local Attractions

This does not mean become a tacky tourist shop, but it does mean integrating your business into the pace in which it is found. Is the area known for a particular product or foodstuff? If so, you should try to stock these. That way, you will have customers walking past predisposed to check out your store.

Beyond the general tips, much will depend upon your specific business, what is sells and where it is located. But by covering these bases first, you’ll be well on your way to making a chorus of that entrance bell.