Launching a new business is perhaps one of the most daunting and anxiety-inducing things you’ll ever experience. Yet if you plan correctly and have the right support, it can also be one of the smoothest business or career-related things you’ll ever encounter.
One of the more important things to worry about is how you plan to attract new customers. After all, people aren’t going to know much about your store, so you’ll need to drum up some interest and get them on board if you want to increase sales and improve your overall reputation. So in this post, we’ll be taking a detailed look at some of the best ways to attract people to your new store opening.
Establishing a solid online presence before you open
Using platforms like social media and your website can be a great way to establish some initial interest and excitement around your new opening. Social media can be a fantastic way to grow your brand’s recognition, and you can communicate with people who are interested in your brand to tell them about your products, what your business is about, and so on. In many cases, people will take notice of your store especially if you’re able to provide something that is otherwise scarce or rare in the area. If you’re filling in some kind of niche, then people are definitely going to be excited and will be all over your store when it finally launches.
But establishing an online presence isn’t the easiest thing ever. You should always start this as early as possible so that you have plenty of time to design and tweak your website and social pages to encourage maximum engagement. Doing so will likely require a competent social media manager or at least someone who has an idea of how to make use of these platforms for business growth.
Let’s also not forget that business website design takes some skill and experience too. Websites should be designed to fit the user’s needs, such as offering an online store or, at the very minimum, having contact details and photographs of your business to attract attention. Your website doesn’t need to be full of fancy features, but it does need to serve a purpose and be practical to operate.
Working on signage to draw in local customers
When you step into a busy street, what are some of the first things you’ll notice about stores? Chances are you’re going to see their logos, huge window displays, and posters with words like “SALE” or “NEW” in them.
Signage is incredibly important for attracting attention, and it works extremely well if your business or store is something new or different that your customers haven’t seen yet. You can get big custom metal letters to spell out your business name, signs that light up and glow when it’s dark, or even just a couple of posters to show people that you’re a new business and explain to them briefly what you offer.
It’s also a good idea to think about indoor signage too. For instance, you might need to direct customers to different kinds of products in your store, especially if it’s fairly large and you have a wide selection of items. Signage can also help with things like advertising products within your store, or even informing customers that you have different kinds of services that they might be interested in.
At the end of the day signage is a vital component to any successful business whether they’re new or not. The more time you spend on creating clear and attractive signage, the more likely your business will grow in the future!
Designing a good store layout
Attracting customers to your store is just the first step. The next challenge is convincing them to stay and to buy a product or service.
This can be achieved in a number of ways, such as adding signage. But an often forgotten and underrated method is to improve the layout of your store so that it feels natural and intuitive for your customers to shop. This is something that will heavily depend on the shape and size of your store, and also the type of products that you offer. So while it’s going to need a bit of tinkering, we do have a couple of simple tips to give you in regard to store layout:
- Link relevant items together. Depending on the type of items you sell, it’s often a good idea to link relevant items together. For example, you might want to put similar types of clothing together, or you can bundle clothing into sections based on the gender that would purchase them.
- Don’t overcrowd your store–give people space! Make sure your aisles aren’t too cluttered or packed. There should be enough space for at least three or four people to stand in an aisle. This isn’t always possible depending on the size of your store, but it’s a good rule of thumb to begin with. Having more space in your store keeps the foot traffic flowing while still allowing people time to browse.
- Think about your customers and how they interact with your products. It’s often a good idea to put demonstrations up or even furniture out so that your customers can “try” your products. This is why the Apple store has tables with devices so that people can try them, and also why furniture stores have areas that showcase the different pieces they have in an example setup.
- Place your products in strategic locations. It’s really important that you think carefully about each of your products and where they should be in your store. For example, sale items and seasonal items should be close to the front as they’re the newest additions or best sellers. This brings the most attention to them. On the other hand, your clearance section should be closer to the back as it’s the older products that your customers have seen before, and they aren’t too interesting compared to the new stuff.
These are just a couple of ideas on how you can design a good store layout. Ultimately, it’ll be down to your design choices since your business, its products and services, and even the shape and size of the store will be huge factors in determining the optimal layout. It’s often worth recording your experiences with different layouts so that you can identify potential issues or bottlenecks while also improving the overall feel and flow of your store.
Window displays to attract people walking past
Window displays are a great way to attract people walking past. Attracting window shoppers generally means showing your best sellers and seasonal products, but you can get really creative with your window displays as well. For instance, you can show the products being used with mannequins, or you can use your window display as a sort of shelf for products. That way your customers can see what kind of goods you have and what they can buy. This is often a strategy used by thrift stores and stores that sell second-hand goods.
You can also add lots of decorative elements to your window displays to draw attention to them. This is common during various seasons like Christmas or summer where you might have different kinds of decorative logos and pictures. This makes your store seem a bit more approachable and also reminds people of upcoming seasons. For example, if you have lots of Christmas decorations, then people will look at your store to find gifts or unique seasonal treats.
Window displays should ultimately show off the products in your store, but if it’s difficult to make a window display then you could always attach posters and signage instead. This should advertise what’s inside your store and also tell people about seasonal offers, discounts, and so on. Alternatively, you can keep signage to a minimum and allow your window display to simply show the inside of your store. This can be an effective way to attract people to your business as they can see everything that goes on inside–including the products!
Great customer service really helps
Lastly, we can’t forget about offering great customer service to everyone that steps into your store. Your employees will need to be kind, well-trained, and exceptional at their jobs if you want to offer great customer service that encourages people to come back.
Your approach to customer service should change depending on the type of products and services you offer. However, the general rule of thumb is to do whatever you can to make the customer experience smoother and more enjoyable. This will often mean going the extra mile for your customers, but that’s fine as they will likely remember your business, and the kindness you showed, and will come back in the future as a result. The last thing you want is angry customers taking off or shouting in your store, as it’ll give off bad vibes and make people reconsider walking in to your store!