As shops and hospitality businesses up and down the country begin reopening, bringing in new customers to drive revenue and sales is more important than ever after months of lockdown.
Non-essential retail, hospitality, salons, gyms and many other businesses have been closed for the past few months as enforced lockdown in the UK remained in place to ensure rates of COVID dropped in our communities across the country. But as we take the next step towards ‘normality’, it’s time to open those doors and invite the public back into your business.
But how do you ensure that you attract new customers in an environment where many Coronavirus regulations are still in place? It is absolutely possible to create a welcoming atmosphere and engage new customers while keeping both your staff and visitors safe.
Read on for our top tips on how to safely attract and engage customers when reopening your business.
1. Advertising
The first step to bringing new customers to your business is to make sure they know you’re there. Advertising your presence using pavement signs and advertising boards is a great way to let new customers know that you’re open for business and excited to welcome them.
Pavement signs are available in a range of different styles and sizes; from traditional chalkboard a-frames to more modern swing or flex signs with printed vinyl graphic panels. For a more flexible product, choose a poster frame pavement sign which will allow you to switch up your marketing materials and promotions on a regular basis.
When it comes to pavement signs, there are a number of different ways you can use them to advertise your business. Publicising new promotions and discounts is a popular way to attract new customers, while using them to showcase menus, price lists or treatment details gives potential customers all the information they need. Even a message as simple as ‘we’re open’ still helps to form a connection with passers-by, making them more likely to investigate your premises.
Browse our full range of Pavement Signs.
2. Safety First
Reopening businesses isn’t as easy as just flinging the doors open and welcoming the rush of customers. In the new reality of the Coronavirus pandemic, safety measures must be in place to protect both staff and visitors. There are a variety of different products available to help you keep everyone safe.
Investing in a range of safety & signage products means you can keep your customers informed about how you are maintaining a safe and healthy environment. Floor stickers detailing one-way systems or marking 2m distances can be extremely helpful for guiding people how to move around your business. Fixing sanitising stations at key intervals in your premises (such as entrances/exits, outside toilets or kitchens) means people can easily find a place to sanitise their hands which helps to prevent the spread of any infection through fomite particles on the hands. Signs which remind people to wear face masks over their mouth and nose, and maintain safe social distances, are also very helpful in focusing people’s attention on the rules.
By informing your customers of the steps you are taking to preserve their safety while engaging with your business, they are more likely to feel secure and therefore more likely to stay longer within your premises - and that means, more likely to spend money.
Browse our full range of Covid-19 Safety & Signage Products.
3. Orderly Queue
It’s likely that most businesses are going to be operating with limited capacity for some time to come, meaning that queues outside during busy periods are set to be a familiar sight. Make sure your customers know where they need to wait by installing a queue system.
Retractable barriers give you a flexible solution, meaning that if you need to move the location of your queue you can easily do so. Did you know, you can even buy advertising panels suitable for retractable queue barriers so you can showcase your brand or promotions to customers while they’re waiting to enter your premises?
Browse our full range of Crowd Barrier Systems.
4. Social Distance
It’s going to be a while before we see social distancing measures disappear entirely, so making sure your business has the right social distancing solutions in place to keep staff and customers safe is essential.
Investing in a variety of ‘sneeze screens’ and Perspex® or acrylic freestanding or mobile partitions can help protect your employees and visitors by forming barriers between them; stopping potentially infectious respiratory particles from spreading person-to-person. In conjunction with the use of face masks, social distancing screens have been proven to dramatically reduce the spread of viruses like Coronavirus.
The style of social distancing screen you’ll need for your business might vary; there are different shapes available with bespoke purposes such as medical vaccination screens or manicure stations - but the majority of our partitions collection is made up of shapes and sizes which are multifunctional. In floor-standing varieties, we have both freestanding and mobile designs available; while for countertop partitions we have fixed, folding and roller screens available with or without cut-out transaction hatches - a retail essential.
Ensuring your business has a comprehensive social distancing screen set-up will reassure your customers that you take their safety seriously, encouraging more people to spend time (and money!) with you.
Browse our full range of Social Distancing Screens.or Sneeze Guards.
5. Interior Display
It’s important to focus on your exterior advertising to draw people into your business - but once they’re inside, make sure you make the most of your interior space, too. Setting up strategic notice boards throughout your business can help you advertise promotions, sales and exciting new products within your store.
Our interior notice boards are made with a board centre upholstered in commercial-grade, fire-retardant fabric in a variety of different colours to suit your branding requirements. They can be used with Velcro tabs, and in many cases pins or staples to fix your promotional messaging.
Bear in mind that we also sell external notice boards with weather-proof cases, so you can show off your menus or promotions outdoors, too!
Browse our full range of Indoor Indoor Notice Boards. and Outdoor Noticeboards.
So there you have it! Five easy ways to attract and engage new customers now the lockdown is over and we’re moving back towards ‘normality’.
For more information on any of our products or to speak to a member of our expert team on how to set up your business ready for customers, please get in touch via our Contact Us page or on 01733 511030.
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