5 Ways to Increase Customer Engagement in Your Retail Store

In-store customer engagement boosts sales and increases customer loyalty by keeping them interested in your brand.

When customers walk through the door of your retail store, engaging them with your brand immediately boosts sales and builds brand loyalty.

In-store shoppers are among the “most highly engaged” prospects your brand can have, since they’ve already chosen your brand above competitors and demonstrated interest in doing business with your store, according to customer engagement software provider Spectrio.

“You must enhance customer engagement and catch their full attention to get them to take the next step: purchase. A positive interaction primes them to restart the process by coming back again,” says Spectrio.

Customer engagement at your retail store doesn’t just build a relationship with your audience. It also supports customer engagement strategies such as live chat, email and text messages, according to customer service, sales and marketing software provider ActiveCampaign.

“Good products aren’t enough these days. At a minimum, you need a loyal customer base and a reputable brand,” says ActiveCampaign. “Customer engagement personalizes the buyer’s journey and helps customers feel comfortable shopping with your brand.”

Here are five tips for increasing customer engagement at your retail store.

1. Grab their attention with engaging in-store content

“Customer engagement is all about creating a connection and line of communication between you and your customers. You can’t develop this bond without first grabbing their attention,” says Spectrio. “Developing interesting and compelling media is a key step your business should take.

“Don’t just put up posters or end-cap flyers. Instead utilize engaging content mediums that immediately capture attention when customers walk into your store.”

According to Spectrio, intriguing in-store content includes:

• Opting for digital signage over static signs
• Using a “video wall” of several connected television screens that create one massive display: “Customers can’t help but be pulled into content when it is displayed on this large scale,” says Spectrio.
• Displaying engaging social media content
• Sharing important messages between music selections

2. Place interactive displays throughout the store

“Let customers engage with the content in your store through interactive displays,” advises Spectrio. “Set up screens that enhance customer engagement by allowing users to enter contests, play games, sign up for your rewards programs, download coupons, and more.”

3. Offer free Wi-Fi

Offering free Wi-Fi and using Wi-Fi marketing software can allow your brand to deliver messages and other digital experiences to your customers, says Spectrio.

4. Provide customer service kiosks

Offering touchscreen kiosks allows customers to engage with your brand and control their in-store experience. Self-service kiosks can allow customers to make purchases, set appointments and manage their accounts, says Spectrio.

5. Create a connection for future interactions

In addition to enhancing customer engagement during a visit to your location, it’s crucial to create a connection with that shopper that lasts longer than the time they spent in your store.

Spectrio recommends using media and interactive displays to form a connection and increase in-store customer engagement, including:

• Provide touchscreens where customers can enter their email address and phone number so you can send messages to keep them engaged after they leave the store.
• Encourage customers to follow your brand’s social media platforms. “Add call-to-actions on your in-store social streams that ask them to follow, and offer contests or other incentives to get them to like and follow your brand,” says Spectrio.
• Use Wi-Fi marketing for remarketing opportunities that keep customers engaged when they’re not at your store

“Customers walk into your store as interested audiences and highly engaged prospects,” says Spectrio. “Once they arrive, it’s up to you to create a welcoming, interesting, and appealing experience that makes them want to stick around, buy something, and return again.”