The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to make several adjustments to their business setup and management. Some retail businesses during this time have tried to find new ways of reaching out to customers. It is a difficult time for retail businesses, but when done right, a retail business or a trendy fashion business specifically can still be successful. If you are fortunate enough to have a successful business despite the odds, good for you.
Retail businesses can ride on various pop culture trends during the pandemic. These businesses can also utilize fresh takes on visual merchandising as a strategy to entice more customers into their physical stores. Nowadays, attracting customers into your store is essential if you want to retain heavy foot-traffic that can lead to sales.
Given the importance of setting up an eye-catching and striking retail store display, what are the concrete methods you can do to attract potential customers?
Methods to Attract Customers
Nowadays, it has become tough to attract in-store customers due to the difficult situation. You would have to come up with an added value to the in-store experience to attract potential customers. This is because customers nowadays tend to think twice before entering a potentially risky establishment. To transcend this dilemma, you would need to strategize your in-store gimmick.
The first thing you should consider is if your overall physical store needs any renovation. A customer would be attracted to a well-maintained store that is pleasing to the eye. If you have renovation concerns, contact a general contractor to assist you in your retail store construction needs.
Emphasize your in-store safety measures. As mentioned, customers nowadays are extra cautious about entering establishments, so you should take the necessary steps to surpass this barrier. Implement strict safety protocols among your employees and promote social distancing among customers to ensure a safe shopping experience.
Try offering appointment shopping. By offering this option to customers, social distancing measures will be more efficiently implemented. This will also allow personalization of services because of the lack of anonymity of customers going in the store.
Make your customers’ in-store visit a complete and valuable shopping experience. Enhance their experience by providing a dynamic and experiential element to your in-store setup. This is especially important nowadays when there is little value to visiting physical stores due to brands moving to digital means. Make sure, though, that despite providing an experiential element, you should still follow safety protocols.
In line with this added experiential shopping value, it is also important to emphasize your store’s visual merchandising strategy.
Importance of Visual Merchandising
We often hear the term ‘visual merchandising,’ but what does it mean? Why is it important to attract customers in-store?
Visual merchandising is often understood as the visual promotion of goods and products through visual displays. This is important in attracting customers to your physical store, especially during this pandemic. What are the methods you can try to improve your visual merchandising strategy?
In strategizing your visual merchandising setup, remember that using the right colors is a powerful tool. The right color combination can enhance a simple visual merchandising setup in an instant. Choose striking colors like complementary colors or a black-and-white combo to create eye-catching displays that can attract more customers.
Make sure to establish a focal point in your display. The focal point has to be the product and not a prop for your visual merchandising. You are promoting your goods, so these products have to be the highlights of your setup.
A good visual merchandising setup involves a wide selection of available products without making the display look cluttered. The more the customers see, the higher the chances they will find something they would like to buy.
Apart from these, you should also use your space efficiently. Include important brand details in the ceiling or between displayed merchandise so that you can effectively tell a complete brand story through your visual display. Just make sure to leave enough breathing room for the eyes to rest.
Visual merchandising has a lot of potential in attracting customers, especially during this difficult time for retail stores. Study visual elements like color, line, and space to help you set up an efficient and striking visual display.
Attracting customers during this pandemic may be difficult, but it is not impossible. Your retail store needs to emphasize its brand story to keep potential customers interested in visiting your establishment. Whatever strategy you decide to adopt for your store, make sure to always follow safety protocols to keep you and your customers safe and healthy.
