How to Boost Foot Traffic to Your Smoke Shop

by Ian Black
How to Boost Foot Traffic to Your Smoke Shop

In the French language there exists the word flâneur which while having no direct English translation roughly refers to the concept that not all who wander are lost. They also have the phrase J'aime celui-là which just means, “I want that one”, so not everything in French is hiding a philosophical conundrum. Either way the point of this is to say that the concept of foot traffic is much more than just a random collection of people wandering, but instead something that is a part of human nature. So listen to your friends at Got Vape Wholesale for a couple of tips for how to get these wandering souls off the street and into your shop.

Table of Contents:

How Do I Maximize My Storefront?
How to Use Seasonal Changes to Your Advantage
Why You should Host a Pop Up Event
Why Using Food Works
Go Full Game Show
Fin; The End

How Do I Maximize My Storefront?

Before we look inward it’s time to take the superficial approach of looking at ourselves in the mirror and making sure that our outward appearances are as enticing as can be. No one wants to wander into a troll's lair by accident, so oftentimes those walking by will quite literally judge your book by its cover. That puts the onus on you to make sure that your shop’s storefront looks friendly, bright, and clean in order to flip the switch in pedestrians minds that says “I should hop in there for a sec”. There’s no one correct way to do this so make sure to embrace your own inner creativity and style as genuineness is one of the key factors in attracting the hearts and minds of shoppers to you like a moth to flame.

How to Use Seasonal Changes to Your Advantage

Make your business a shop for all seasons by taking advantage of the spinning rock we are all on and embracing the changes by leaning into their themes. While this may seem a bit cheesy, a lot of foot traffic or flâneurs if you’ll pardon my French, are often out walking in order to embrace the Season so if you fit the theme it will lead to people naturally coming in. If you really want to go crazy try having season appropriate products and accessories highlighted prominently in your shop to draw the attention of those just coming in, you never know what they may walk out with. By updating your store around the year you will also draw the attention of existing customers who will be drawn in to see what's new or special this season.

Woman at a pop up shop with the windows open

Why You should Host a Pop Up Event

You don’t have to be Jay Gatsby to host an event people will come to, instead find either a friendly brand to collaborate with or instead run your own informational event. From pipe makers to D8 brands, those who manufacture the products in your shop are more often than not small businesses themselves and if you reach out to them will be more than eager to collaborate on hosting an event at your shop. Try having a set up where customers can speak to a brand representative to learn more about their specific products in order to drive interest and boost sales. Another great option is to announce your own informational event such as how to clean your glass where you can show shoppers vital skills in order to make their lives easier. These will drive foot traffic in as they see more and more people arrive while also creating positive word of mouth from those who attend.

Why Using Food Works

They say an army marches on their stomachs and the same can be said for foot traffic as there is nothing quite as potent in drawing attention than the waft of good cooking. That’s why we recommend reaching out to a local food truck to see if they’d be interested in doing a collaboration where they set up shop in your parking lot or outside your store if parking laws allow. By doing this you are creating a double whammy of building your brand within the community and attracting a large swath of pedestrians who will notice the truck and then consider coming in to pick up a pipe or pack of papers from your shop.

Hand reaching out to wheel of fortune getting ready to spin

Go Full Game Show

If there’s one thing that casual meandering shoppers love it is something they can interact with that’s why running a contest or having a wheel of potential discounts or giveaways for customers to spin is a sure fire way to boost foot traffic. Running an ongoing raffle with each purchase getting customers a ticket to boost their chances of win is a great strategy. Another option is the classic wheel of fortune where you set up a simple spinning wheel and offer each customer a chance to spin the wheel and receive anything from a 5% discount to a free pack of rolling papers!

Fin; The End

Much like our friends the flâneurs at some point our wandering must come to a head and a conclusion must be reached and for us, it’s that the power of getting more foot traffic in your shop is right at your fingertips, you just have to reach out and grab it. So put your Shop out there and lean into your own inner creativity to make sure that your store front is constantly evolving into a more interesting version of itself and that you are putting in the effort to add a few extra bells and whistles to your shop like pop up, info event, or food truck event. Take advantage of these tips and embrace the power of Spring to have the best Q2 possible! As always make sure to drop by here each week to take a look at our tips and insights at the Got Vape Wholesale Blog!


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