Brick-and-mortar grocery stores face competition from several different channels these days: Traditional supermarkets, grocery delivery services, discount chains, and big-box retailers all compete for the same shoppers. In this environment, improving foot traffic remains one of the most tried-and-true methods for gaining an edge in the grocery sector.
When more customers walk through the door, a grocery store typically experiences increased sales and several ancillary benefits, including stronger brand loyalty. But attracting increased foot traffic requires more than just cutting prices.
To increase visits, the best grocery retailers combine competitive pricing with effective marketing, engaging in-store experiences, and strategic business partnerships. For example, hosting an ecoATM kiosk can attract new customers while offering existing shoppers a handy, value-added service that keeps them coming back.
Why Foot Traffic Is Such a Valuable Metric for Grocers
Foot traffic will always be a vital metric for brick-and-mortar grocers. After all, the more people who walk into your store, the more opportunities you have to generate revenue. Grocery stores arguably benefit from frequent visits more than any other retail category.
Unlike many other retailers, grocery shopping happens at least once a week for many households. When every additional visit can translate into deeper customer engagement and more impulse purchases, grocers are constantly looking for ways to attract new customers and retain repeat visitors.
How to Boost Foot Traffic for Supermarkets
1. Make a Good First Impression
Your storefront’s appeal matters. If the outside of your grocery store doesn’t look inviting, potential customers might walk or drive right by without setting foot in your store.
Improving curb appeal is a relatively simple way to boost foot traffic. Add clear signage to highlight prepared foods and ready-to-eat meals, drawing in busy professionals looking for a quick lunch break. Create appealing seasonal decorations to get people in the holiday spirit, or display fresh flowers and produce outdoors during the summer months.
Making a good first impression signals to shoppers that your store is a reliable place to buy high-quality products, making them more likely to stop by (even if they weren’t planning on it).
2. Offer (and Advertise!) Regular Promotions
Finding a great deal will always be a major driver of grocery store visits, and you can use them to improve your foot traffic as well. Shoppers often plan their grocery trips around sales and promotions, encouraging repeat visits as customers return to see what’s new.
As an example, a brick-and-mortar grocer can hang a banner near the store entrance with a QR code leading customers to their weekly digital coupons. Or, advertise seasonal promotions on sandwich boards strategically placed near parking lot entrances. These are the types of hooks that can draw in a customer who was otherwise going to keep walking past your store entrance.
Consumers know that the deals at any grocery store are temporary and could vanish at any time, creating a sense of urgency to stop by now, not later.
3. Use Social Media to Promote Specials and Fresh Inventory
Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok make it easy for grocery stores to promote products and highlight bargains in ways that connect with the local community. When grocers post recipe ideas using in-store products or feature local vendors, they increase the likelihood of foot traffic.
Engaging visual content, like photos of fresh produce or videos of employees taking baked goods out of the oven, can encourage people to swing by your store. In addition, social media is a great way to get the word out about additional services available within the supermarket, such as an ecoATM kiosk in the foyer.
4. Add Services That Attract New Customers
Another great way to increase foot traffic is to offer value-added services that bring new shoppers into the store, even if getting groceries isn’t their main reason for visiting. For example, hosting an ecoATM allows customers to sell or recycle used smartphones, tablets, and other electronics while doing their grocery shopping.
Our automated kiosks provide users with instant cash in exchange for their old phones, and about 70% of that cash goes back into store registers. When you consider that ecoATM collects over 135,000 phones and tablets every week at our kiosks across the country, that’s a lot of potential income for a grocery chain.
5. Implement Loyalty Programs
Rewards are another powerful way to increase store visits. Common loyalty programs include earning points for purchases and providing personalized coupons for returning customers. These programs reward customers for repeat visits, encouraging them to choose the same store time and time again.
Grocers can even combine rewards programs with value-added services like ecoATM. For example, you could offer cross-promotions that offer shoppers bonus loyalty points for using the ecoATM kiosk. It’s all about approaching shoppers from multiple angles and finding the ones that really stick with your customer base.
6. Host In-Store Events
When you hold events in your grocery store, you can turn routine shopping trips into memorable experiences for your customers. These events can be as simple as sample giveaways, or you can get creative and swing for the fences. How about hosting a local celebrity chef for a cooking class in your store, using ingredients from your shelves?
In-store events boost foot traffic, especially if you market them effectively. On top of that, they can also help increase cart sizes for your existing customers. After all, when you show shoppers how they can use your products to create amazing meals, they’re more likely to buy them and use them in their own kitchens.
7. Partner with Local Businesses and Community Groups
Community engagement through partnerships can be another effective method for improving foot traffic. Partnering with local businesses, both big and small, can help a grocer reach new audiences and reinforce their existing relationships with shoppers in the area.
This can take many different forms, from featuring products from local farms to inviting area Girl Scouts to sell their trademark cookies in your store lobby. You can host community fundraisers in your store, offering a percentage of profits on a certain day to a local youth group, for example.
Also, consider sponsoring area sports teams, school events, arts initiatives, environmental programs, and more. When people see that you help make their favorite local events happen, they’ll want to support your efforts and your store.
How ecoATM Helps Increase Foot Traffic for Grocers
There are over 7,100 ecoATM kiosks located across the country in high-traffic retail environments like supermarkets, discount stores, convenience stores, money centers and malls. With over 57 million phones recycled or refurbished to date, ecoATM has become a popular solution for people looking to responsibly recycle used electronics.
ecoATM kiosks appeal to today’s environmentally conscious, bargain-seeking consumer by providing a responsible recycling program that pays top dollar for old phones and tablets. When these people stop by your store to use the ecoATM in the lobby, they’re likely to browse your shelves and make impulse purchases, even if they weren’t planning on buying anything. Remember, about 70% of cash dispensed at ecoATM kiosks gets spent in the very same store!
In addition to increasing foot traffic and putting cash in shoppers’ pockets, hosting an ecoATM has no operational burden for a supermarket. We don’t require any assistance from your employees to install or maintain the kiosk, and we handle all customer support needs as well.
Protect the Environment and Fulfill ESG Goals
When ecoATM collects a shopper’s phone, it kick-starts a chain reaction of environmental benefits. By keeping the phone out of the landfill, we keep valuable materials in use and prevent harsh chemicals from leaching into the air, water, and soil.
It’s important to keep in mind how popular sustainability measures are these days. 78% of today’s consumers say that they value living a sustainable lifestyle, and shoppers always prefer businesses that they perceive as having shared values.
Furthermore, partnering with ecoATM can help grocery chains meet corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. When grocers host ecoATM kiosks, they instantly improve their ESG performance without disrupting daily operations or making major investments into complex sustainability programs.
Increase Foot Traffic and Promote Sustainability with ecoATM
Hosting an ecoATM kiosk provides a unique advantage for grocery chains and supermarket owners looking to improve foot traffic. Our self-service kiosks bring in customers who want to sell used electronics, attracting potential shoppers who might not otherwise drop by.
People who use the kiosk frequently shop in the store after completing their ecoATM transaction, spending roughly 70% of their cash payouts in-store. Plus, there are no staffing requirements for your business, as we handle every possible aspect of setup, maintenance, and support.
ecoATM helps consumers become part of the circular economy, eliminating waste and keeping high-value products in circulation. In addition, partnering with ecoATM aligns with sustainability initiatives that are must-haves in modern corporate culture.
When grocers make their stores well-rounded destinations rather than just places to buy food, they can boost foot traffic and maximize in-store sales opportunities. Contact our team to learn more about how hosting ecoATM kiosks and schedule a no-obligation site visit today!
