Would a car without an engine work? Exactly, it wouldn’t! Because in every technology there must be an engine/core to make it all work, and when we are talking about driving sales, that engine is customer traffic.
Whether we are talking about online or offline traffic, customer influx must be a priority for retailers to maintain a healthy business and increase sales, especially during this post-pandemic period.
From one day to another, everything has changed, and so – subsequently – did many variables. Costumers’ savings have boomed, and their demands have shifted completely! So naturally, businesses must adapt their marketing strategies to drive more traffic.
Online or offline traffic? That’s the question!
We need to understand that directing traffic to online channels is a wholly different thing from driving offline traffic, and thanks to the MMM (Marketing Mix Modelling) alongside psychological complexity filtering analysis, we can see some differences between these two complete channels. However, there is one thing in common, the main purchase driver: convenience!
That’s drive!
So, what should companies/businesses have in mind to drive online and offline traffic?
When using a digital channel, there is a big limiting factor, the Mental Bandwidth. Unfortunately, all consumers have a limited mental bandwidth to process infinite online options, so they stay with a few top-of-mind retailers. For that reason, if you want to stay on top-of-mind you have to use advertising, and in that matter, there is some key factor for your success:
- Consistent advertising to keep the top-of-mind;
- Ads placement, for example when the customer is considering the purchase.
As stated in the article published by Think With Google, “the crucial finding is that online channels depend more heavily on advertising to drive traffic than in-store channels”.
In-store traffic the Location is the key, nonetheless, your marketing strategy will always have an important role in taking people to your physical shops.
On to the big question: is there a perfect strategy?
So, if you’re aware that convenience is the key factor for success, now ask yourself, – what should – your strategy be?”. Don’t you worry, we got you covered, with these 4 guiding principles to map your traffic strategy:
- Use both channels! Each channel has its benefits, so combine them and increase both off and online traffic;
- Consider investing in your e-commerce, so you can stay top-of-mind;
- Use automation to make everything more effective and easier, such as automated ads;
- Consider legacy investments. In marketing, you have to use all of the cards in your deck. It may not have big returns on investment, but in online channels, it is always a method of getting to your clients;
If you want to know more about this topic, be sure to check the original article about online and offline traffic.
Read more: Restoring retail: The divergent rules to drive online and offline traffic
