Online shopping continues to grow, accounting for over 25% of global retail sales in 2024. But while news from the high street might sometimes comes with a touch of gloom, the truth is that people still want a real world shopping experience. Yes, online is convenient, but retail stores can still do so much to attract shoppers and even level up their sales.
Whether you’re managing a multi-store retail footprint, or looking at how to grow your local business, we’ve taken a look at the best ways to engage retail customers. Be they passers-by, window shoppers or interested browsers, these are all great ways to improve your store experience and get more sales….
1. Customer Service is Still King
Exceptional customer service remains a cornerstone of retail success. A 2024 survey by Khoros revealed that 83% of customers consider good customer service the most important factor when deciding what to buy, excluding logistical considerations like product availability and pricing.
Moreover, 87% of consumers trust a company more if it provides excellent customer experience.
So it goes without saying that providing a great experience for your shoppers is going to both improve sales on the day and – potentially – encourage repeat custom and brand advocacy.
Some tips to improve your customer service are simply:
- Have staff welcome visitors when they enter the store, a simple ‘Hello’ will suffice.
- Encourage staff to ask if shoppers need any help or are looking for a particular item.
- Be aware of the fine line between engagement and annoying persistence – make it easy for customers to come to your staff without being overbearing.
- Empower your staff to make decisions on the ground, whether that’s making a tricky decision about a refund, or helping a customer to find the perfect item.
Take care of your customer service and it’s true that pretty much everything else will follow.
2. Leverage Brand Partnerships
Brand visibility and awareness is a big part of the retail experience. After all, people are more likely to make the purchase if they know or trust a brand. And in some cases, collaborating with complementary brands can expand your reach and offer added value to customers.
Strategic partnerships can allow retailers to tap into new customer bases and share resources, leading to mutual growth.
For instance, co-hosting events, stocking and highlighting a specific brand item or creating bundled offerings can attract diverse audiences and provide a unique shopping experience. These collaborations not only boost sales but also enhance brand image and customer engagement.
This can be a great way also for smaller brands to build their visibility. But it’s also an excellent opportunity for more established brands to align with niche products or enter a new market.
3. Display User-Generated Content
According to different sources across the internet, as many as 90% of customers will check reviews of a product or store before they commit to a purchase. Even while in your store, customers might look up online reviews or check your Google or Trustpilot ratings.
Basically, user-generated content (UGC) is more important than ever, whether that means store or product reviews. In fact, a 2025 study found that 93% of marketers leveraging UGC reported it performed better than traditional branded content.
How can you use this? Incorporating UGC into in-store displays, such as showcasing customer reviews or photos, can build trust and encourage purchases. Digital signage software is one of the most effective ways to display this information in a clear and dynamic manner, right there in store.
4. Fun Features and Gamification
Introducing gamified elements into the shopping experience can also significantly boost customer engagement. Gamification strategies have been shown to increase user engagement by up to 150% compared to non-gamified environments.
This means implementing interactive kiosks, reward-based challenges, or digital scavenger hunts. All of these can not just make shopping more enjoyable but also encourage repeat visits.
Gamification can also be a fun way to engage with the local community or location. Many stores will take part in a seasonal treasure hunt – so partnering with your local shopping precinct management, or even encouraging shoppers to visit your store on particular days to find a secret item can be an excellent way to attract more foot traffic.
You then just need to use some of the other elements from this list to get more sales.
5. Build a Buzz with Events
Hosting in-store events can create excitement and draw in crowds. Whether it’s a product launch, workshop, or seasonal celebration, events offer customers a reason to visit and engage with your brand.
These experiences can be great for community and loyalty, as customers associate positive memories with your store. There are many ways to promote these events including:
digital signage and social media ensures maximum reach and attendance.
6. Bring Online Offers In-Store
There is often a perception that ‘you can get it cheaper online.’ However this isn’t always true, and often stores bring their best offers in store but display them on the internet.
Customers appreciate consistency across channels, which includes knowing that your in-store prices are the same as on your website. While this might not always drive foot traffic, you can also remind customers sometimes that there are unique product launches, one-off items or clearance sales in-store, things that they can only see when they visit you in the real world.
Another clever trick is to show your online price and a booking link in store – for example via a QR code. Using something like digital signage to display your products means you can cycle through your catalog and see that prices are the same, or even order in-store for home delivery.
Retailers often use digital signage as window displays or for product highlights. But it’s also an excellent tool to compare prices and give people the option to order how they want.
7. Luxury Layouts and Lighting
It’s a fact that the physical environment of a store significantly influences customer behavior. Consider a cluttered and poorly laid out store to a minimalist designer style shopping experience.
In one, you want to get out as soon as possible. In the other, you’re happy to browse, take your time and maybe even actively search for something to buy because you love the shopping experience.
Even if you’re not offering designer products, effective store layouts and lighting can enhance product visibility and create a more welcoming shopping experience.
Some tricks to improve the browsing experience include:
- Minimalist lighting – using warm light to highlight product.
- Lots of use of space – avoid clutter.
- Visual merchandising such as displaying the product in context or in a lifestyle video.
Using digital signage to improve the store experience
If you’ve noticed digital signage in use in more retail stores, there is a reason for this. Studies have shown that using digital signage can boost footfall by 25% and increase sales by an average of 30%.
Using these dynamic screens in store also gives you the opportunity to display products, messages and even reviews like never before. Whats more, good digital signage software gives you the ability to manage content remotely, create amazing display content in minutes and easily manage screens across your store or different locations.
If you’re looking at a great way to engage your customers in retail stores, digital signage could be your secret weapon! Shh… We won’t tell.
