Walk ins !

In the retail business the lifeline continues to be walk ins to offset the high Cost of retail( COR ) , in which retail rent forms a big chunk ,add to it the operating expenses which are quite high ,COR might otherwise gobble your business ,driving Walkins into your store/s have seen over the years great degree of uniqueness , which tend to go beyond the basic "upto 50% discount " sale scream mode , here are some of the routes/ideas Indian retailers have used to get their customers in ..

Database ::Knowing your customer and creating a database of your customer would typically mean that you need to run a couple of crores worth Loyalty program ,If you have spent the time & money in doing so then this should hold you in good stead ,the best example of a retailer using this medium is that of Shoppers Stop , which uses its Loyalty program ,First Citizen,to great degree off effect , everyone knows its now famous one day advancement of off sales for its golden glow customers but brands can use this database to drive walkins to their section by paying thru their nose though .The Database based system of driving traffic/walkins can also be used for identifying the primary catchment area for your store and thus identification of the action needed in a specific area .

Mobile : With increasing Mobile users by the day and the penetration reaching say 30 % plus in India brands cant just afford the power of this play , its too lucrative , but with the "do not disturb " laws being enforced , this is not a completely free for all medium as it was earlier ! however consent marketing for this medium has also started , an interesting consent based model which is making waves is www.mginger.com , also brands like Levis have used sms for its walkin drive with a 10 to 15 % increase in walkins seen .

out of box : Along with the traditional stuff ,brands have used interesting ideas and unique stuff to drive walkins ,the best known examples which the blog has visibility are these : The taller you are the higher the discount , so essentially your height becomes your discount ,so if you are 6' 2" then you get 62 % , and so on ! done by scullers , also the same brand had used the route of saying height of your girlfriend would be your discount,guess people would have scouted for a days stand in tall girlfriend .

Walkins can also be driven by creating something unique ,brand Scullers again tried creating the world largest pants and put it up outside a departmental store , it got enough PR and also walkins maybe not completely to its section though .Another out of the box idea was of Arrow which tried the uniqueness of a date say 070707 ( 7th july 2007 ) , to announce an unique offer on that day !so wear your thinking hats you would get enough things to do !

Cross promotional+ Next time ideas :The best cross promotional ideas that work according to this blog is the one between shopping and eating , so after you shop for x you are given a discount coupon which can be redeemed mostly on the same day or two ,after shopping eating out is a must for most of us ,..you can also give an aggressive offer for the next visit within a set time period .

Great Indian Exchange offer :If you have tried all the above and not worked then you have the great exchange route , it really does work , categories such as salwar kameez , jeans , kitchen utensils , cars , phones etc have seen good increase in walkins when this is done with a great degree of mass media awareness . Shoppers stop 's Salwar exchange is the best example for this mode .

Essentially getting Walkins is the key but not the only solution in retail , as getting huge walkins , with no buying happening is another problem and topic by itself , more of that later ...