Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. With all the businesses out it can be tough to be noticed particularly if you have a small store. A key to your success will be getting it noticed and what helps is to situate your operations on a highly trafficked street. The following contributed post is entitled, Can Your Small Store Get Noticed on a Busy High Street.
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Small independent shops are a crucial element of our economy and culture. Small stores give consumers options away from global brands. They often offer unique items of high quality, ideal for those of us that don’t want to be exactly the same as everyone else. They are able to provide excellent customer service, something which unfortunately often gets overlooked by larger brands focused on driving sales. These small businesses build relationships with their customers and give people a reason to shop in person, instead of sitting at home and ordering their purchases online. Small stores have many advantages over large chains, and many people love shopping in them.
But, despite knowing all of this, and knowing that your community is keen to support local business, if you own a small store of your own, something that you may worry about is getting noticed. You might have considered moving into out of town locations, where competition is lower, and property is cheaper. But, doing this is a risk, there’s less passing footfall, and your store has to try harder to give customers a reason to travel. On the high street, people are already there. You just need to give them a reason to come inside. If you can get noticed.
Build a Reputation
One of the best ways to get people into your store, instead of through the doors of bigger businesses nearby is by building a great reputation. Use your interactions in store, but also your engagement online, to get to know your customers. Become known as a business that goes the extra mile for their customers, and even do some charity work to boost your reputation in the wider community. Make it so people want to come to the high street for your shop.
Stand Out from the Crowd
Just like everything else, store styles and layouts have trends and fashions. Things become popular and trendy, so every store jumps on the bandwagon. They all look the same. If you want your store to get noticed, be the one that doesn’t follow trends. Be the one that has a strong look, and rocks it. Look at awnings installation, and other colorful ideas to make a statement. Don’t be afraid to try new things and to take risks with your designs. You can always make further changes and tone things down if you need to.
Put Effort into Your Window Displays
Some shops, say Apple, don’t need to worry about what is in their windows. They might not even have window displays. Customers see their logo, and they know enough to decide whether they want to go inside or not. You don’t have this luxury. Your window displays speak for your business. Display your best products and key brand messages, but don’t overcrowd and overwhelm. Keep things simple and show off what is important.
Get Outdoors
There’s nothing to stop you pulling people in from outside. Send staff out to speak to people and give away free samples, set up a stall in your carpark or on the street, print adverts and flyers to let people know where you are. Don’t wait for people to come to you, go out and get them.
