Customer dwell time refers to the amount of time an in-store customers spends looking at a display, or browsing a particular section of the store. Research has shown that the longer the customer spends standing and looking, the more likely they are to make a purchase. Therefore, increasing dwell time is good for business.
Here are some of the methods used in the retail industry to encourage customers to linger and spend more time in the store.
Optimizing store layout
The layout of the store should be suited to the space, the type of products on sale, and the core customer base. It is usually best to strike a balance between having enough space for the customer journey to flow without obstruction, whilst guiding them to any aisles/tables/shelves which the store may wish to promote.
Setting the right temperature
Getting the in-store temperature right is not as straightforward as matching it to the weather, because in the winter time customers are likely to be wearing heavy sweaters, coats, hats, scarves, and so on, and will soon want to leave an overheated store. In the summertime, blasting air conditioning will make customers in light clothing too cold.
Finding the right ambient temperature will also help staff to perform well. It may be a case of asking a staff member to be vigilant about how the customers and staff are behaving, are they carrying around cumbersome heavy coats because they are too hot, or shivering in shorts and vest tops? The temperature can be adjusted accordingly.
A clean and pleasant environment
A store which is regularly deep cleaned and smells fresh and pleasant will be a more attractive place to spend time than a grimy store with lingering bad odors. Public spaces are now often designed to appeal to the olfactory senses as much as sight and sound, with a bespoke commercial scent diffuser.
Fragrances are now used to help create a brand identity as a part of the wider market strategy. This is because scents are powerfully linked to emotion and memory, often in a much more direct way than sights and sounds.
Well-designed internal signage
Internal signage helps customers to navigate the store, and find the products that they are looking for. They can also be used to give information about offers and promotions, and influence the direction of foot traffic towards certain products or displays.
Good clear signage which is consistent and well situated will increase overall customer satisfaction in the shopping experience and make them more inclined to make a return visit. Signs should keep wording to a minimum, with a simple message that can be read in five seconds or less.
If you need to include more detailed information, save it for lower down the sign. Headers should ideally be five words or fewer, with a maximum of three to five lines of text underneath, and a call to action, such as ‘add to basket’ at the end. Graphics should be simple, bold in color, and not impair the legibility of the sign in any way.
