July 1, 2021 |

With footfall greatly impacted by the closure of non-essential retail over the past year, the reopening of stores in spring saw welcome reprieve for many retailers. However, as data from the ONS recently highlighted, the re-opening of the hospitality and leisure sectors has forced a double-dip in shopper footfall following the release of pent up demand. So what can brands do to double down on post-lockdown retail store marketing opportunities and ride the upswing as shoppers begin returning to their local high-streets?

We take a look at the opportunity that exists for new retailers looking to make their mark among customers eager to spend some of the cash they saved in lockdown, and what they need to do to ensure their offer gets noticed.

Pop up retail store marketing opportunities.

Tempt shoppers back with in-person retail experiences.

Giving shoppers an opportunity to break their online shopping cycles and create reasons to experience products on the high street is a great way to ease people back into the habit of visiting stores. After all, physical retail still retains the experiential edge that pure-play online retailers struggle to match when selling solely through online channels.

Building a calendar of events around seasonal stock rotations is a great way to generate interest and guarantee uptake. Events also provide an opportunity to engage with influencers and create exclusive experiences for your most loyal customers. By tapping into influencer audiences, you can generate interest around particular new products that are sure to tempt shoppers through the doors. 

It is worth noting that the rules of engagement with influencers have been changed by the pandemic. Brands looking to succeed among their target audience need to avoid coming across as tone deaf by engaging with those that paint your products in over-idealistic lights.

The past year has been a tough one for many, and that should be reflected in the tone of your campaign messaging. While we are not suggesting you come across as dour and sombre, you should ensure your messaging is as authentic as possible to avoid turning your audience off.

For example, this could pick up on trends around spending time together after so long apart, sharing the joy of family and friends.

Pop-up to grow brand awareness of your online retail store.

The glut of space left behind by a large number of closures means there are many retail store marketing opportunities on our high streets. Engaging with landlords open to considering short-term leases could offer an opportunity to create temporary in-store experiences, enabling online retailers the chance to showcase products in physical stores. It is clear the appetite among landlords is there, with short-term lease experts, Appear Here recording an uplift last summer of 125 per cent in enquiries from retailers interested in short term space.

Much as building a calendar of events benefits physical retailers, by taking an online offer and creating a physical experience to represent it ecommerce operators can grab the attention of shoppers with exclusive ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ experiences.

This availability of space could be great news for smaller independents too, who might want to experiment with physical offers before taking on long-term leases. The current retail property market is awash with opportunity for early-stage brands to begin shaping physical offers and testing new concepts among their target audiences.

Centering propositions around city centre high street spaces will provide valuable routes to generating attention within the local press, which depending on your audience targeting strategy could prove lucrative for newer brands.

If you are looking for a specialist retail comms team to make a success of your retail experiment, get in touch today to find out how we can help you make a splash.