Technology is developing every day from online shops to virtual reality headsets, therefore, finding ways to help increase footfall in your workplace has never been so important. Regardless of whether your business is a shop, hotel or a place of historic interest and natural beauty, increasing the footfall is going to be essential to its success. There are many ways to get customers through the doors but one, in particular, is by using apps. Have you ever noticed that when you are out shopping or simply going for a walk, so many of us have our phones stuck in our hands? Yes, that’s right, the world has turned anti-social. If you are anything like me I don’t feel complete if I have left my mobile at home. This may sound quite sad, but for businesses, this is a great opportunity! This allows businesses to contact their customers personally and in real time.
But how? Let’s take a look at 5 different ways you can use an app to drive customers to your store…
1. Let your customers know when they are nearby your store
Enter Geofencing! Essentially Geofencing is establishing the virtual fence around a predefined geographical area. As a user with an enabled mobile device enters into a predetermined virtual fence it triggers an action or notification.
Thanks to the huge advances in technology and the massive growth in the adoption of smartphones, that now allows the everyday person to carry GPS, Wifi and Bluetooth in their pockets, it has become an incredibly cheap and easily accessible marketing tool for the modern day business owner.
The good thing about Geofencing is that you aren’t limited to your own location. You can target customers who visit businesses similar to yours in an attempt to sway them across town to your store with that cheeky bit of discount you are offering. ?
But it doesn’t stop there! Here are another 6 ways that you can use apps to drive traffic to your workplace.
2. Offer exclusive in-store deals
Many companies send in-store deals or coupons to their users via the app. The offer is then stored in the app with a code that can be quoted or scanned in store when making a purchase. For example, with the H&M app users will get alerts about offers and events at their local H&M store.
3. Partnerships
Strategic business partnerships allow small businesses the opportunity to grow their customer base and improve their business. This partnership can come in many forms, one great way is by partnering with other companies apps.
Santander provides a service called ‘Retailer Offers’, which allows the user to earn cashback when they use their Santander debit or credit card to make a purchase in chosen places.
Retail offers have a range of businesses that partner with them from clothing retailers to restaurants and much more. The Santander app uses location to personalize what would be available to the user and allows them to pick which places they want to earn the cash back from through the app. Yes, of course, this service is exclusive to Santander customers however, other banks also provide similar services such as Barclays.
Another example of partnerships is the app GeoCaching. This app is essentially a treasure hunt for adults. The app will guide the user to the nearest geocache in their area. Geocaches are the treasure, which are hidden in clever locations. This is a great tool for businesses as it is something a bit different. Yes, not every business could avail of it however, it would be a great tool for companies that heavily rely on footfall such as the National Trust for example.
Perkbox is another great app partnership to drive traffic to your workplace. So what is Perkbox I hear you ask? It is an employee benefits package. Where your employer pays for the subscription and employees reap the benefits. This is a great way to get customers through the door. An example of this is Caffé Nero.
Caffé Nero offers Perkbox users a free hot drink once a month in store. Let’s be honest, if the coffee is free you are more than likely going to buy a treat along with it. If your customers know they are going to get rewarded by you every so often they are more than likely to buy from you over one of your competitors.
4. Snapchat – Geofilters
With Snapchat being the third-most popular app among 18- to 24-year-olds in the U.S., ahead of Instagram, you would be silly to ignore it. Snapchat is much more than just getting that perfect selfie with a bunny ears filter to send to your crush. Snapchat Business Geofilters offer a chance to be seen and sent to others by Snapchatters at your store, event or other location. Drive awareness and engagement in one swipe, and inspire customers in your neighbourhood to come to your store or event with Geofilters.
5 .Pokémon GO
Pokémon GO is a game for your smartphone. The aim to catch all the Pokémon that you can. As you walk around a neighbourhood, your smartphone will vibrate when there’s a Pokémon nearby. Some business owners might see it as annoying or encourage unnecessary loitering (no-one can appreciate a loiterer) however, as a business don’t be so quick to judge.
Don’t see Pokémon GO players as a problem, but rather customers who haven’t yet interacted with your business. Increased foot traffic thanks to Pokémon GO is your opportunity to make a positive first impression with potential customers.
In summary, increasing your footfall has never been so important thanks to online shopping and virtual reality- visiting places from the comfort of your own home. Even though geofencing isn’t the newest strategy on the block, with farmers using it when herding cattle. You can target potential customers based on their location and guide them to your doors, and by partnering with apps your customers could catch more than pokémon by visiting your workplace.
About the Author:
Hannah Strain is a Marketing Executive at Hurree. Hurree is the marketing automation platform for apps that helps engage users and keep them active at a time that suits them. It goes one step further by automatically enhancing that 1 to 1 personal experience for the user without demanding any additional time from the marketer.
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