Getting a higher footfall into my shop ...

[tycoonalan]

Hi

I run a newsagents and was wondering if anyone had any tips to help me increase my footfall and sales. Currently we sell most things you would expect a small convenience store to sell such as tobacco, Sweets, Drinks and milk. We also have a payzone terminal.

Any other suggestions on what we could do would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[JamieM]

What about CollectPlus?

http://www.paypoint.co.uk/news/paypoint-retailers-collect-extra-£2700-offering-collectplus

 

[Sherlock Homeless]

I find these to be a wonderful idea:

Small stores have a limited repertoire of things that can bring in the punters, they include:

Strong community links
A larger than life personality behind the counter who has a lot of banter and strong people skills
Cheap prices/special offers

The first two are where a small store can trump the big boys, the last one is where they can wipe the floor with you.

 

[fisicx]

The parcel drop-off / pickup thing has really picked up around here. It brings a load of people into the shop and the owner constantly arranges the display to promote things. He's just moved the icecream freezer thing next to the counter so people pick up their parcel and buy an icecream because it's hot.

He changed the position of the newspapers so you don't have to bend over to pick them up and this means people now see the BOGOF and 3 for 2 offers he has got there.

There are laods of things you can do but you have to experiement with things.

 

[Leather Briefcase Company]

Look very hard at your shop front. Is it clean and inviting?
Do you have any promotion boards outside [ and promotions to offer ]?
What use do you make of display in your windows, and is it refreshed regularly?
Can your customers come into the shop easily?
Have you got any dead spots / shelf warming stock that can be improved / replaced?
Do you welcome every customer and thank them for their business?
"Retail is detail" was drummed into me!

 

[kathymac73]

Friendly helpful staff . A good magazine range . Promotions 3 for 2 as suggested buy one get one free .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Yaham_barry]

In my opinion. You can setup a LED message board showing what you sell and the weather to attract the passerbys.

 

[Kerrybob]

Fall in love with your customers, give them your special attention always have banter with them. Make shopping an experience and talk about things they are interested in, create a relationship that the big boys can't . Ten minutes of your time listening and helping solve their problems can buy a customer for life.

 

[Simply Business]

What's the location of your shop like?

A new convenience store opened in a student area, pitched themselves as 24 hour and had a good stock of booze and snacks - worked incredibly! It all depends on your potential customer-base

 

[telabadmanwot]

Move your shop to a location with higher footfall?

Look in to it before you dismiss the idea, maybe you can find somewhere with similar rent.

 

[Kerrybob]

Good idea, put your fishing rod were the fish are, better to find a hungry market, than a market thats hungry!

 

[Martina Wade]

Make sure the shop front is tidy and inviting, your entrance clearly visible and free space inside so people know they can enter. Make things easy to reach and see. A tidy, clean and bright shop is vital. Like others have said - magazines and newspapers, a range of refreshing drinks and snacks, gum and mints. Keep your location in mind - is it somewhere people pass on their way to work? Maybe offer a range of breakfast items, or hot drinks? Identify how and why people shop.

And long term - review your sales figures - which items are selling, which aren't? Are there some you could drop to expand in a product range that is more popular?

It can also help to do customer avatars - e.g. who are your typical customers, what are they looking for? What are their shopping habits?

And a big smile on your face! Greet your customers and take advantage of being able to form a little connection with them. To leverage this you can also implement a loyalty system, which isn't very common in convenience stores and therefore could be a great way of differentiating you from others.

 

[ParcelBright]

Friendly banter causes me to walk past the Supermarket Express store and right into the local convenience store.

I also go in there because they have a free cash machine and a great magazine selection.

Collect+ is a great idea too. Lots of our parcels are sent via Collect+, and I'm willing to bet that people pick up the odd pint of milk with their parcels!