When it comes to the problem of how to attract millennials and Gen Z customers into your store, it can be a tricky proposition, especially if you do not have access to the requisite information, facts, and figures. Shopping trends and preferences have changed as new generations have matured, attained more money, and increased their buying power. But might those traits we might observe in our younger generations hold the key to enticing them into our retail spaces and persuading them to part with that hard-earned cash?
Using clever, well-researched shop fitting is one way to catch their attention, and we have a team of experts just waiting to give you their fresh thoughts and innovative ideas. When you need the services of a respected, trustworthy professional shopfitter in Melbourne, we hope you will consider us here at 360 Shopfitters. In this article, we will look at some of the techniques we can utilise to attract younger shoppers into retail spaces. Millennials value convenience and quality over price, and this is an excellent place to start.
How to attract millennials
It does not take a great deal of digging to discover younger generations have a much lower tolerance for delays and are more than happy to change their minds completely at the slightest whim. Any successful shop fitting scheme designed with a focus on how to attract millennials and retain their attention would do well to acknowledge this fact and adjust any plans and sales concepts accordingly.
The modern, online, social-media-driven world values ‘experiences’ over substance, and it is crucial to try and make any retail space feel like adventurous, enticing zones where people want to take photographs and videos and create content as much as they do to shop and spend money. This may sound counter-intuitive, but any positive associations we can build with our intended customers and the space we want them to inhabit can only be positive.
Imagine you have a unique interactive display that allows users to snap themselves in a variety of bizarre, beautiful locations and easily share to their social media page of choice. Maybe build in a QR code to take shoppers directly to a discount page if they post and share. Use your imagination and get the advice of people who live and breathe this kind of technology on a daily basis.
Technology is the key
Anybody we would sweepingly describe as ‘millennial’ or ‘Gen Z’ has grown up in a world where there has never been a lack of amazing technology. It is woven into the very fabric of their lives and influences almost every aspect of their behaviour and motivations. Think carefully about how you can incorporate state-of-the-art technology into your shop fit, giving serious consideration to:
- Free WIFI
- Interactive displays and equipment
- Large television screens
- Individual kiosks or devices for independent product searching
- Strategically-placed devices for requesting assistance
- Digital signage and even price-tags
The number of potential ways technology can be incorporated into your shop fit-out is almost limitless and its effects cannot be overstated. You should spend a serious amount of time and as much of the budget as you can afford, creating a technological wonder zone that meets and even surpasses high technological expectations. If nothing else, it is imperative to:
- Ensure fast, convenient, cash-free payments are available
- Facilitate similarly rapid, convenient returns
- Use automated sales points if appropriate
Modern shoppers are all too aware of the boundless possibilities even the most basic smartphone allows and will harshly judge any retail environment not giving the technology its due respect and attention. Neglect it at your peril.
Physical locations still have an appeal
While your intended customers will undoubtedly have done their research and perhaps discussed the pros and cons with their online community beforehand, actual retail stores are still relevant and desirable. There is nothing quite like the experience of walking into a carefully thought-out, well-appointed, and fully-stocked retail environment that is attractively lit and generally enticing.
Younger generations are not immune to the charms of the traditional retail environment, it’s just that they might be more discerning and demanding than their forebearers. And they’re making the decision whether to seek out a retail space or not beforehand online, making it crucial to have a modern, easily navigable site in place to drive customers to your physical store from online.
Engage and adapt
Do what you can to make a trip to your retail space an event that can be recorded, shared, and remembered. Take the focus off shopping to some extent and create a space where youngsters feel comfortable socialising and having a fun experience. There are other clever ways to monetise scenarios like this with arcade-style vending machines and even ‘old-school’ concepts like traditional photo booths.
Once you begin to understand the habits and preferences of younger customers, you will be able to interact with them more meaningfully, adapt to their ever-changing lifestyle, and influence their shopping choices. Win their hearts first, and their loyalty and spending habits will follow.
Contact us
We hope you will agree these thoughts and tips are a great place to start when wondering how to attract millennials but understand that each set of circumstances will vary and require your own investigation and research. If you have any questions or comments you would like to direct towards the team here at 360 Shopfitters, please get in touch at your earliest convenience, and we will be only too happy to help however we can.
