When running a store, you want to keep your customers satisfied and, at the same time, increase their dwell time.
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What is Dwell Time?
Dwell time refers to the amount of time that an employee spends either in your store or on your website.
Dwell time is critical to a business because customers spend more money when they are shopping in-store than when they are perusing online. By keeping customers inside of your store longer, you can easily increase your revenue.
How to Increase Dwell Time?
Fortunately, there are numerous changes you can make to your store to encourage customers to stay longer, and many of the ways are very simple.
Music
When you are playing music inside of your store, you want the volume to be loud enough for your customers to hear so that it creates a vibe. However, you don’t want it so loud that it becomes annoying and turns customers away.
Research has also shown that slow music tends to encourage customers to dwell in a store longer, which can lead to an increase in sales. To choose the right music for your store, find the right volume and tempo, and consider the type of customer who normally shops within your store.
Lighting
When you’re considering the right lighting for your space, consider the different types: ambiance lighting, accent lighting, and decorative lighting. Whatever form of lighting you choose, you want to make sure the light is not too bright or distracting. Harsh lighting can turn customers away.
Hotspots
Customers spend a lot of time moving through your store, so you want to place hot spots; these are spaces customers are more likely to pass through. Consider where these hot spots are and what your customer may need from the surrounding aisles and try to include popular items in these hot spots that also make sense for the area.
Charging Stations
An efficient way to keep customers in your store is to invest in a rentable mobile charging kiosk. They help keep your customers happy and their phone’s charged, so they stay in your store longer.
Customer Service
The quality of a store’s customer service can either increase or decrease a customer’s dwell time. When it takes a long time for employees to greet customers and answer any questions, this gives customers a negative view of your store, and they’ll be less inclined to remain. If you train your staff to respond quickly to customers and their questions, they will be more likely to remain for longer periods of time.
Additionally, if you have a smaller store and staff, you can train your employees to greet each customer and check in with them as they shop. This will make your customers feel heard and noticed.
Temperature
You want the temperature you set in your store to compliment whatever temperature it is outside. The temperature is going to shift as the season’s change, of course, so consider:
- What your customers are wearing: they’re going to dress according to the weather outside. In cold weather, they’ll dress in shorts and sandals, and in the winter, they’ll be in coats and scarves. And in the summer, you want to provide a cooler environment for guests to have a reprieve from the heat, and in the colder seasons, you’ll want a warmer store to help get rid of the outside chill.
- Your equipment: lights and equipment are going to heat up a space, so your store may need a cooler environment to prevent it from becoming too warm.
By implementing these changes into your store, you’re one step closer to increasing your customers’ dwell time.
