Foot traffic is the term used to describe the number of people that pass by your business and how many of them enter. It is one of the measures you use to measure how attractive your business is to the casual passerby. The traffic is vital to the success of a company because the more people enter a store, the more opportunities there is to boost revenue and make sales.
There are many ways you can achieve this goal, but one of the modern method you can deploy to make your store more enticing and attracts a more significant number of people is Gamification. Shoppers don’t only want to purchase items and be informed about your store and product, but they also want to be noticed as a customer and have a special treat.
What is Gamification?
Gamification is the use of game design techniques and mechanics in a non-gaming context. What this means is that you can take games essential element like fun, design, action, and competition and apply it through game mechanics such as leaderboard, points, and badges.
Gamification is about increasing the implementation of pre-existing process or experience in the business, rather than creating something new from scratch. It is currently being applied to customer engagement, innovation management, employee performance, training and education, sustainability, personal development, and the list continue to grow.
RetailNext pointed out that:
22% spend more at the store if digitally influenced
and
55% of online shoppers would prefer to buy from a merchant with a physical store presence over an online-only retailer
How Can Gamification Attract Customers and Increase Your Store Foot Traffic?
Gamification is a marketing tactic and principle that is getting more popular in the retail industry. It helps to improve customer experience thereby making them happier and as a result, boosts sales. For your store to attract foot traffic and enjoy some level of success by using gamification, these are what you need to do.
Keep it fun and interactive
A particular way to keep millennial customers engaged is to make the game interactive, fun and immersive. You can get them in touch with your store directly at a fraction of more traditional marketing methods by providing your potential customers with memorable and relevant experience with the store.
Create a flawless link between the in-store and online and experience
You can create a platform in which after winning a prize online, your customers will have to come to the store to claim it. By driving them to redeem vouchers for a free item, you provide a significant increase in foot traffic in your store.
Align marketing automation with gamification to boost customer loyalty
Align your marketing automation platform with gamification to boost customer loyalty and retention. It is essential to have a loyal customer base when planning on having a lifetime value of a customer, so it is vital to provide them with engaging and meaningful communications.
You can also let them take part in games that are fun, for instance; you can spread virtual or real Santa, dwarfs, or reindeer around your store during Christmas, give them hints and let them win a special prize or discount. All this will drive traffic to your store and also grow your subscriber base which is also essential.
Why Should You Integrate Gamification With Your Store?
According to research, an average customer that visits a mall spends $105 in a visit, if a store can convince a customer to visit a few more times in a year, the result will be immediately and significantly noticeable. Experiential businesses like climbing gyms and restaurants with gamification tools bring customers to your store more often while also getting them to spend more.
Naturally, customers are not going to return to your store, and you won’t get more foot traffic unless changes are made. But with gamification, you can directly engage and retain your customers in a completely different way that will make them always come to your store.
