Ways to Increase Retail Footfall
The rise of online retailers, along with pandemic restrictions and the ease of next day delivery, has caused a decline in customers shopping in brick and mortar stores, with people opting for the convenience of online shopping. With four in five UK consumers being digital buyers, traditional retail stores have had to keep up with the customer’s shopping habits by adapting the way they operate.
So what are brick and mortar stores doing to increase footfall?
Retailers have had to consider what they can provide to customers, which online sites cannot. What’s missing from online retailers is the immersive experience of entering a new space. By making a retail space new and exciting it encourages potential customers to want to visit.
The use of cutting edge technology in Sephora stores takes away the stress of choosing the correct foundation and lipstick colour. Shoppers are able to use augmented reality to virtually try on different shades which complement their skin tone – which they can then try on in person.
This immersive experience of using technology, combined with being able to physically hold and try out products, is something which online shopping cannot provide. It allows consumers to have confidence in what they would like to purchase, ultimately leading to more people completing a purchase.
AINZ&TULPE: Interactive Displays
Over 10 million people from around the world visit Tokyo each year – by using interactive displays Ainz&Tulpe have opened up the opportunity of tourists becoming customers, who they would not usually be able to reach due to language barriers.
The interactive display shows different make up looks and uses sensors to detect people walking past to make it look like the faces are following them. Facial recognition identifies what language passers-by are most likely to speak, meaning that when they press the makeup look they like they are able to receive a coupon in a language they understand. From here, visitors can enter the shop and be made up in the makeup look they selected. The store uses light boxes and digital screens to give the experience of entering a luxury studio, but for a fraction of the price. For more on the use of retail displays, visit https://unibox.co.uk/retail-displays/.
NIKE: Customisable Store Layout
Nike’s flagship store in New York uses easily reconfigurable modular systems. Using a customisable store layout allows Nike to customise and reshape the store to provide a new and interesting experience for their customers. Unibox’s modular display system, Lab 35, could be used in a similar way to create this effect, as you have complete freedom to modify displays however you would like.
Lab 35 allows you to create an endless array of custom designs for visual merchandising flexibility, using units, mobile trolleys and display cases. These can be supplied in flat-pack format for ease of transportation or as pre-built units for speed of installation.
Having this flexibility to reconfigure the store means that Nike can not only adapt the store for new product launches, but they can change the displays and product collections according to the seasons.
As customer needs and wants change, retail stores have to reinvent themselves in order to keep up with the pace of online shopping. However, since pandemic restrictions have eased we have started shifting back towards shopping in store. This means that the use of new technology, customisable lay outs and interactive elements are techniques that guarantee a rise in footfall within retail.
