Increasing Footfall To Your Retail Store During Covid-19
When old methods stop working, it’s time to update your game plan.
The global pandemic has ushered in a change in the way jewelry retail stores function. New and modern solutions are necessary in order to increase footfall to physical stores. While Covid-19 is still very much rampant, some relaxations in both government and citizens is helping businesses get back on their feet.
This, of course, means that businesses have to quickly adapt to this opportunity. That’s why we have laid out some helpful guidelines that will help promote your business as one where people can shop worry-free!
Health and Safety is The Motto
Every business aiming to stay afloat during this time must prioritize the health and safety of the customers and the staff.
Neither your working force nor your customers will come to your store if they don’t feel safe in the environment. So in order to make it a perfectly safe place, actions like maintaining social distance between staff and customers, placing products further apart and most importantly, sanitizing and maintaining the general hygiene of the store are crucial. Relevant protocols should be created and followed for staff as well as customers.
Sanitizing stations at the entrance and other sections of the store are a good idea. Investing in UV boxes to sanitize your jewelry designs and stocks can be helpful and efficient. The staff should be provided with the necessary safety equipment, which can also be extended to customers if needed.
Contactless Payment is The New Normal
The digital age has put convenience at the top of wants. The way people shop has also become more digital amidst Covid. With people moving away from handling cash and coins due to fear of contact, contactless payments are becoming the new normal.
They are ways of making payment without needing any physical contact. If you see someone simply tapping their credit card or phone into a machine, they are using the “tap-to-pay” service. Not only is this service more safe, but it is also very convenient. You can use an array of digital payment services provided by Paytm, Phone Pe, Gpay, Whatsapp Pay, etc.
As a business, it’s important to adapt yourself to contactless transaction methods so that your customers feel more comfortable while shopping in your store.
Announce That You’re Open and Covid-ready
With everything gradually settling down, it’s good to announce your store re-opening. You can get the word out by creating social media posts, contacting your customers via email etc. You can highlight the safety policies and measurements that your store is taking in these announcements.
The aim of your announcement should be to highlight your conscious effort of making the store safe so that customers coming to shop are worry-free.
Offer In-Store Promotions
One of the best ways to attract new customers and bring back old ones is to offer special deals and discounts. It strengthens loyalty amongst existing customers and helps in increasing your sales.
You can incentivize customers shopping in your store by offering special coupons that can be redeemed only in the store. Free samples and bundling your products together is also a great way to attract customers, while also clearing out any excess of stock you might have from the quarantine time.
For such promotions to be executed, you need a robust marketing plan. You should have collated enough customer data such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. where automated coupon codes can be sent to lure them to buy products. Arrange sales for festive collections and seasons.
Quality Always Wins
There are certain factors that a customer considers before making a purchase. Quality, price and customer service are usually the ones most considered. However, with Covid, safety and risk have also become important factors to consider. This makes quality all the more crucial to drive your sales.
Customers must feel moved by your jewelry products to take the risk of coming to your store and exposing themselves. The quality of your products should speak not only for itself, but your very brand itself. Good quality products create trust and reliance in your store and brand, making customers feel respected for their time and effort. It makes them want to purchase your products.
Quality has brought in loyal customers before, and it does even more so in today’s times.
Purchase Online, Pick Up In-Store
This strategy is one to definite adopt if you’re a product-based business. It serves as a solution to your digital presence, and also drives in people to your jewelry store.
Customers can conveniently purchase your jewelry online through their phones and pick them up from your store. There’s no hassle of lines or being exposed in the store for long periods of time. They can simply come to the store and pick up products they’ve already purchased from you online.
The year 2020 will clearly go down in history as one of the most challenging years. Difficult times may be upon us, but there are things we can do to ease the situation for ourselves and others. While the world may be changing rapidly in 2021, the essence of the symbiotic relationship between shoppers and businesses has not changed one bit.
People still want to shop, and it must be the duty of jewelry businesses to change and adapt themselves to their needs.
