How to get more people in the front door of your shop

The retail sector on the Gold Coast is in a constant state of competition. As tourist numbers grow and more businesses emerge, it's tougher than ever to make local retail property stand out and bring customers through the front door. 

Today we're going to share some of our tips for helping you make your store more attractive and therefore shoppable to help you stand out from the rest of the competition.

Think: Less is more

People don't want to deal with anything too gimmicky these days. The small boutique factor is in, so your store doesn't need to go wild and out to attract customers. The good news for your budget is that the small and specialty shops are currently in fashion. This means you get to focus on developing the personality of your brand within your store. This brings us to our next point. 

Create an eye-catching storefront 

Your window display and storefront absolutely matter when it comes to attracting customers. We can break this down into two elements: target audience and visual merchandising. First, you'll need to address your target audience – what type of customer are you trying to attract? Once you've identified who that is, do some research.

Sit outside your shop, or where you want your shop to be, and see what the foot traffic looks like. If you're a surf shop but you're located blocks away from the beach and you only see senior citizens around you, then it won't matter what your storefront looks like – they're not coming in. This might mean it's time to move shop!

Now, we can't tell you exactly what your display should look like, but we can explain some of the art of visual merchandising. Here's what makes a storefront effective at bringing in clientele:

• Proper signage: Your sign will do well with bright colours and legible font.
• Lighting: Lack of lighting will make people think you are closed – keep it bright.
• Symmetry: Balance is the key to an aesthetically pleasing display.
• Simple: Avoid cluttering your display, it should clearly feature what you are trying to sell. 
• Personalisation: As long as you make your storefront unique to you, it will attract your customers. 

Get a social media account

Boutique Instagram accounts are a great way for you to entice customers into visiting your brick and mortar store. Use this account not just to promote deals and new product, but to showcase some thought leadership as well. Repost from different accounts related to your store, let's stick with our surf shop as an example. If you are a surf shop owner, consider sharing images from professional surfboarders or brands that you carry and reflect surf culture. These guys are also good to emulate if you're looking for some inspiration on where to get started.

To add a personal touch, be sure to feature things that are happening in your local area.

Need some helping finding a better store location then let the team here at Ray White Surfers Paradise help you. Contact us today and let's find you some prime time commercial property!