Attracting Visitor Traffic with Ice Cream and Butterflies

What do ice cream cones and butterflies have in common? Nothing, but that hasn’t stopped me from combining them in my small lawn and garden centre to create a unique shopping experience. We sell ice cream cones, and lots of them. Our butterfly conservatory attracts customers who would otherwise never set foot in a home and garden store.  We barely break even on the ice cream, and generate no direct revenue from the butterfly exhibit.  But both increase foot traffic to our store and win the influence of children and spouses who aren’t typically interested in shopping for flowers or gifts.

Providing unique experiences to your customers that compliment your product mix will result in positive word of mouth advertising.

You see, independent retailers thrive from word-of-mouth referrals that stem from distinctive experiences. So start thinking of the extras that complement your primary offerings, and don’t be afraid to create something that’s unusual and intriguing. Because ultimately, that’s precisely what will keep them coming back for more.

What can you do to provide your customers with a unique experience that will set you apart form your competitors?

Some other ideas to get you thinking:

• Free popcorn for shoppers (I’ve seen this at a movie rental store)
• Free tire pressure & wear check for customers driving into an Automotive store
• A bicycle service technician on the storefront showing his/her process for tuning the bike they are working on (instead of doing this in the back room)
• A espresso or juice bar at a retail location
• A workshop or clinic about one of your products or something visitors are interested in (ie: Gardening tips, Computer Tips/Training, Electronics review, etc)
• Arcade, Pinball or Video game consoles inside your store (not just for kids – spouses tagging along will take advantage of this)
• A couch and TV with a blockbuster movie playing (remember this isn’t intended for staff!

Andy

Interesting stories around the Web:

1. Check out this great article from RetailWire, which talks about “Creating a ‘Wow’ Shopping Experience” (Registration Required)

2. This article talks about some interesting finding from a recent survey performed in UAE titled “Poor customer service plagues retail sector”

3. This article talks about Target’s learning’s from their project to redesign pill bottle to differentiate themselves from the competition – Four Customer Experience Lessons from Target’s ClearRx