Looking for ways to provide a better customer experience in your brick-and-mortar store and better position yourself against the competition? Consider how traffic counting solutions can tap into four important omnichannel retail trends and help boost in-store business.
Prime Location
It’s a tale as old as time; real estate boils down to location, location, location. So is your store in the best spot to attract hordes of shoppers? Turn to traffic counters to see how many people are entering your store, as opposed to those who simply pass by. People counting technologies can reveal patterns in your traffic and help you understand if your store location sees the greatest volume at specific times of the day, days of the week, and seasons of the year.
Maybe you’re in a hot spot to draw the lunch crowd that wants to get a little shopping done or perhaps you’re popular with mid-afternoon post-yoga moms. Use data gathered from traffic counters to understand how your location is — or isn’t — working for you. And because today’s on-the-go millennials and other discerning consumers always have their smartphones on hand, ensure that your store location is easily discoverable via Web search.
If you’re looking to move locations or expand with a new store branch, ask the landlord for people counting data, which can reveal if there’s enough traffic to support your new business. Having hard numbers on hand can help you to make an informed decision.
Breaking Down Big Data: Turn Insights into Action
Big Data is an omnichannel retail trend you can’t afford to ignore. Big Data drives informed decision-making and takes much of the guesswork out of your strategy. The key is to convert all of the raw data you are collecting into actionable insights.
How does this look in the real world? Use the data gathered from your people counter, for example, to reposition a store display that’s not attracting as much traffic as you hoped. Big Data shows you in black and white where people walk and congregate in your stores and can help you correlate foot traffic to sales.
Personalization: Give Them an Offer They Can’t Ignore
It’s no longer enough to blast out generic offers blanketing every customer. Personalizing offers according to customer preferences and shopping habits is a major omnichannel retail trend that shows your shoppers that you’re taking the time to get to know them and you understand what they want.
While personalization is a natural fit online, thanks to the wealth of data that e-commerce activities collect, it’s also possible to create targeted offers leveraging information from your people counter. For example, if you notice traffic peaks after a nearby sporting or cultural event, craft a thoughtful offer that ties with the event and rewards shoppers for visiting your stores afterward. Be creative in using data gathered from people counting platforms to your advantage.
Keep an Eye on Millennials
The numbers vary according to whom you ask, but there are at least 75 million millennials — roughly 18 to 35 years — in the United States, making them the largest and most influential demographic.
So ask yourself: does your brick-and-mortar store cater to what millennials want? They favor walkable, tight-knit communities packed with the mom-and-pop shops and small businesses (see: yoga studios, juice bars, and craft breweries) that really make a place feel like home.
Image processing people counters in particular can show who’s walking into your store as well as who’s ignoring your storefront. Use this data to adjust your strategy to better serve the mighty millennial.
You may not have the budget of the Amazons and Walmarts of the world but you can work with these omnichannel retail trends to ensure your brick-and-mortar store remains relevant and thriving in a fast-changing, digitally driven world.
