It's no secret that physical stores today are up against significant challenges. With the rise of online shopping, attracting customers to your store and offering them a compelling reason to choose in-person shopping over clicking a button at home requires creativity and strategy. One often overlooked tool that can provide a significant boost to brick-and-mortar businesses is email marketing.
Email marketing opens up a direct line of communication between your store and your customers. It’s not just about sending out promotions; it’s a way to share your store’s story, highlight new products, and offer exclusive deals that encourage people to visit your store in person.
This blog will dive into how harnessing the power of email marketing can transform digital opportunities into foot traffic for your store, ensuring that the tactile, personal experience of shopping at your location is discovered by more potential customers.
Table of Contents
Bring Customers In-Store
To bring customers into your store in an age where digital convenience often outweighs the appeal of in-person shopping, brick-and-mortar stores need to employ creative and effective strategies. Here’s how you can leverage email marketing to not only maintain a strong relationship with your existing customer base but also to attract new faces to your physical location:
Offer Email Signups In-Store for Discounts and Coupons
One of the most straightforward methods to build your email list is by offering customers an immediate benefit for signing up. This can be in the form of discounts or coupons that they can use on their current or next visit. It’s a win-win situation; customers feel rewarded for their loyalty, and you get a direct line to communicate with them. Setting up a simple signup form at the checkout or having associates encourage sign-ups during the shopping experience can lead to significant growth in your subscriber base.
Promote New Inventory and Sales in Email Newsletters
Regular updates about new stock or upcoming sales can create anticipation and bring customers into the store. Email newsletters are an excellent way to keep your audience informed and engaged. Highlighting upcoming promotions or new arrivals can motivate customers to visit your store to see the products firsthand.
Spotlight Store-Exclusive Products Subscribers Can’t Get Elsewhere
Exclusive products or lines only available in-store can be a strong draw for customers. Use your email marketing to spotlight these exclusives, offering a glimpse into items that they can’t find online or at any other location. This exclusivity adds value to your emails and encourages visits to your store.
Send Location Reminders and Store Event Announcements
Reminding your subscribers about your store’s location and announcing special in-store events can create a sense of community and urgency. Whether it’s a seasonal sale, a product launch event, or a special in-store demonstration, emails can help you spread the word and boost attendance.
Enable Easy Online Purchasing with In-Store Pickup
Finally, merging the convenience of online shopping with the immediacy of in-store pickup is a strategy that modern consumers love. Promoting this option through email lets your customers know they can shop your products online at their convenience and pick up their purchases in-store without waiting for shipping. This service not only saves them time but also provides an opportunity for additional purchases upon pickup.
Retain Existing Shoppers
For brick-and-mortar stores, creating a loyal customer base means offering more than just products; it's about providing an experience and value that shoppers can't find elsewhere. Email marketing serves as a key tool in this retention strategy, enabling personalized engagement and exclusive offers that encourage repeat visits.
Here's how stores can leverage email to keep their customers coming back:
Implement Loyalty Programs With Points and Special Unlocks
A loyalty program that rewards customers for their purchases and engagement with your store can significantly increase retention. Use email to enroll customers in your loyalty program, and keep them updated on their points balance, upcoming rewards, and exclusive perks that can be unlocked. Such programs make shoppers feel valued and more inclined to choose your store over competitors.
For example, a bookstore can send an email campaign to inform customers about a points system where, for every $10 spent, they earn points. Accumulating points leads to rewards, such as a significant discount on their next purchase. The email would not just notify them about the program but also provide a personalized update on their points balance and what they can unlock next, making each communication eagerly anticipated.
Send Post-Visit Surveys to Improve Onsite Experience
Feedback is invaluable for improvement, and post-visit surveys are a great way to gather insights directly from your customers. Sending these surveys via email shortly after a purchase or visit can provide you with actionable feedback to enhance the in-store experience. It also signals to your customers that their opinions are important, fostering a stronger connection between them and your brand.
For instance, after a customer's visit, a bookstore can follow up with an email thanking them for their patronage and include a link to a survey. This survey aims to gather insights on their experience, with questions tailored to aspects like the store's ambiance or the range of genres available. To sweeten the deal, completing the survey might offer them a chance to win a book or a discount, encouraging participation and making customers feel valued.
Request Product/Inventory Suggestions From Your Email List
Engaging your email subscribers by asking for their input on product or inventory suggestions makes them feel like part of your store’s community. This not only provides you with useful information on customer preferences but also increases customer investment in your brand, as they see their feedback potentially come to life in your store.
In another scenario, the bookstore might send out emails asking subscribers for their input on what books or genres they'd like to see more of. This not only shows the bookstore's commitment to catering to its customers' tastes but also makes the customers feel involved and invested in the store's offerings.
Share Subscriber-Only Deals and Flash Sales Alerts
Exclusive deals and flash sales for email subscribers create a sense of belonging to a special club and incentivize quick action to take advantage of offers. These alerts keep your store top-of-mind and encourage frequent visits to see what new deals are available.
Imagine the bookstore announcing a surprise flash sale through email, exclusive to its subscribers. This could include special discounts on bestsellers or limited-time offers on merchandise. The exclusivity of the deal, highlighted in the email, encourages quick action and reinforces the value of being an email subscriber.
Send Personalized Purchase Recommendations
Finally, leveraging data from past purchases to send personalized product recommendations can significantly enhance customer satisfaction. This approach shows that you understand their preferences and are committed to providing a tailored shopping experience. Personalized recommendations can lead to increased sales and a deeper customer-store relationship.
Lastly, utilizing purchase history, the bookstore can send personalized emails recommending new arrivals or lesser-known titles in the customer's preferred genres. These recommendations, tailored to each customer's reading habits, show a level of personal attention that can significantly enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Re-engage Lapsed Visitors
In the bustling world of retail, re-engaging customers who haven't visited your store in a while is just as crucial as welcoming new faces. Through strategic email marketing, brick-and-mortar stores can rekindle the interest of lapsed visitors and encourage them to return. Let's delve into how stores can utilize email marketing for this purpose, with concise examples for clarity:
Send Win-back Offers to Reactivate Disengaged Subscribers
Crafting emails with special win-back offers can make disengaged subscribers feel missed and valued. For example, a local boutique might send an email to customers who haven't shopped in the last six months with an exclusive 20% off coupon, saying, "We miss you! Enjoy 20% off your next purchase."
Invite Previous Customers to Upcoming Store Events
Inviting past customers to special events is a great way to reignite their interest in your store. A bookstore, for instance, could send an email about an upcoming author signing or a book club meeting, highlighting it as a special invitation for valued customers.
Use Retargeting Ads to Drive Back Recent Website Visitors
While not strictly email marketing, integrating retargeting ads can complement your email efforts. For instance, after browsing your online store without making a purchase, customers could start seeing ads for the products they viewed or added to their cart, with a message like, "Forgot something? Come back for 10% off."
Offer Exclusives and Deals for Reactivating Members
Exclusive deals can be a powerful incentive for lapsed customers to revisit. An electronics store might send an email to inactive subscribers offering early access to a sale or an exclusive bundle deal on products related to their last purchase.
Spotlight New Product Arrivals Matching Past Purchases
Highlighting new arrivals that align with a customer's past purchases can spark renewed interest. For example, if a customer previously bought running shoes from a sports store, they could receive an email showcasing the latest running gear, stating, "Based on your previous purchase, we thought you might be interested in our new running accessories."
These strategies, when executed thoughtfully through email marketing, can significantly boost re-engagement efforts, turning lapsed visitors into active customers once again.
What's Next?
For local stores poised to elevate their email marketing strategy, there’s no better time than now to start or expand your email list. The potential for creating meaningful connections with your customers, understanding their preferences, and tailoring your offerings to meet their needs is immense. And with software like SendX, designed to manage extensive email lists of 100,000+ subscribers with impressive deliverability rates, scaling your email marketing efforts has never been easier or more effective.
Embracing email marketing opens the door to omnichannel synergy, blending the best of both digital and physical retail worlds. By integrating email with other channels, stores can offer a seamless and personalized shopping experience, encouraging loyalty and repeated visits. So, take the first step towards building your email list with SendX and unlock the full potential of your brick-and-mortar store in today’s digital marketplace. View pricing here.
