Don’t look now, but we’re just a couple of weeks away from the start of spring! The weather might not yet be letting on, but winter isn’t going to last much longer. For retailers, this time of year brings about more foot traffic. It’s important to know, however, that people don’t enter stores just for products. They want to enjoy engaging and memorable experiences. Are you doing your due diligence to ensure that shoppers visit your store in person all year round?
Here are four ways to create fun in-store experiences for your customers:
1. Host interactive workshops.
Why not take things a step further than just offering high-quality products? Teach your customers how to use them via hands-on showcases. They can come in many forms. A home décor store can host a DIY crafting session. Meanwhile, a grocery store can host a cooking class and a clothing boutique can offer a styling workshop. The possibilities are endless. People love learning new skills. Therefore, your event can create lasting connections with your brand.
“The workshop is a place for participants (who all actively participate and aren’t observers) to do the work and practice in a structured, guided way that is facilitated by an expert who knows more than they do and who can help them make progress towards their goals,” notes Rachel Thompson of Being Boss, “Humans learn by trying, failing, getting feedback, and doing it again.”
2. Gamify the shopping experience.
It can’t hurt to incorporate fun and friendly competition at your place of business. Come up with some inventive ways to offer game play in your store. For example, you can host a scavenger hunt where customers can search for hidden items in-store for discounts. Why not set up a spin-the-wheel promotion that offers surprise rewards? As well, you can’t go wrong with a loyalty program challenge. Offer your repeat visitors the ability to unlock exclusive deals.
“Adding gaming aspects to business functions has been shown to increase customer acquisitions by 700%,” reports Edu Lehtinen of giosg, “Your gamification marketing strategy does not need to be large and grand to be effective. Many e-commerce businesses are using gamification to engage with their customers, so let’s start by looking at why it’s so popular and effective.”
3. Introduce technology-driven interactions.
Do you own a clothing boutique? Consider offering virtual try-ons for fashion and beauty products. What about introducing AR (augmented reality) product previews? For example, a furniture store can use the technology to help customers see how furniture would look in their homes. As well, set up interactive in-store displays that provide extra product details. These features make shopping more convenient and entertaining.
“56% of shoppers surveyed by NielsenIQ said that AR gives them more confidence about the quality of a product, and 61% said they prefer to shop with retailers that offer AR experiences,” report Sandeep R. Chandukala, Srinivas K. Reddy and Yong-Chin Tan of Harvard Business Review.
4. Make the checkout process a breeze.
Unity Payments can help you with that! The all-in-one cloud-based Poynt C Smart Terminal offers an exceptional payment experience for your customers. It also helps you to keep track of all your orders and inventory as well as access dozens of reports about your business and its customers – all in one place! For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email info@unitypayments.ca.
