Here's a blog archive from my December blog. As always you can see the whole thing here: http://christopher-walk-in.tumblr.com.
Enjoy, and feedback very welcome!
It's holiday season and I've been busy browsing through predictive foot traffic stats. The good news is that Foot traffic counting services like UKs Path Intelligence and the US's ShopperTrak predict a slight increase in sales this holiday season, 3.0 percent during November and December. The less good news is foot traffic will decrease by about 2%, and even up to 5% in certain industries, when compared to the same period last year.
The main culprit behind this trend are online outlets, luring value-conscious consumers away from brick-and-mortar businesses, and offering potential deep discounts for large purchases. There are several strategies in which business owners can prepare for this, two of which I will mention here, that concern being aware of 2 ways in which customers are affected by internet browsing:
1: When they walk in to your store, they have a purchasing strategy and are less likely to browse. 2: They might notice that your goods are significantly more expensive than what they see online.
Regarding 1: according to ShopperTrak's Bill Martin, "Retailers who pay close attention to their browser to buyer conversion rates and adjust their product offerings, store layouts and staff scheduling to improve those rates will be the most successful this year."
That's just what London-based fine chocolatier Charbonnel et Walker does every October, seizing the opportunity to win over foot traffic during the UKs official chocolate week, which is meant to build brand awareness and celebrate fine chocolate making. Throughout the week, the chocolatier offers tastings and gives away samples to walk-in customers, seizing on an event related to their business to promote their goods. It seems obvious, but so often around the holidays, stores do very little in terms of offering incentive for shoppers to walk in, beyond packaging their products in a ready-made gift at a slightly discounted rate (which, by the way, is also a great way to attract foot traffic before Christmas).
Regarding 2. Last year, I purchased a collapsible Dahon bike at premium rate. There was no discount, I could have found it cheaper second hand or online, but I didn't. Why? The store dealt directly with the official distributor of the bikes, and offered a 5-year warranty on parts, and one year of free servicing.
As cheap as online purchases might be, they also pose a risk to the consumer. By offering your customers a product at a premium rate, consider adding the kinds of perks that will never be found or fully trusted online: a good warranty. In store service. The great advantage of having a brick-and-mortar business is the opportunity to build trust and loyalty between consumer and business.
Action Plan
1. When a customer walks in to your store, challenge their pre-planned purchasing strategy with a sample or a display bound to at least attract their attention and open their purchasing horizons.
2. When asked why your goods are more expensive than what they see online, have your list of 2 or three reasons why your product's guaranteed quality or warranty or policies make it far safer, and in the long run, less expensive for your customer to buy from your Brick-and-Mortar business than an online outlet.
3. If you are having trouble communicating with your customers in peak times or for a different reason, you can always benefit from tools which do the communication for you, like interactive screens in-store or mobile applications such as foursquare or LoyalBlocks | 
