7 Store Counter Ideas to Revamp Your Business
No matter how vibrantly you decorate your store, everyone must pay at the counter before leaving. While you may think your checkout counter mostly serves a functional purpose, it can significantly impact how much your shoppers purchase.
When things go right, you can boost the average cart value. When things go wrong, you can lose sales altogether.
To prevent issues like slow service and poor marketing, read over these store counter ideas to maximise your profit potential.
Revamp Your Checkout Process with These 7 Store Counter Ideas
1. Keep it sanitary
No one wants to shop somewhere that seems dirty, so basic cleaning is crucial. However, just wiping away the dust and making things seem clean is not enough.
With the global focus on health due to COVID-19, people want to know your store is sanitary. Even once the pandemic ends, shoppers will likely continue practicing social distancing. For this reason, you will want to ensure your counters show off your devotion to cleanliness.
Here are a few store counter ideas to promote good hygiene:
- Offer contactless payment: With just a tap from a card or mobile device, customers can pay for their goods and avoid touching surfaces.
- Provide hand sanitiser: Give customers peace of mind after payment by letting them clean up before they go.
- Use dividers: Plexiglass barriers can help keep your customers and employees safe, even when someone only has the common cold.
- Control the direction of foot traffic: Use floor markings to outline the direction your customers should walk in order to reach the exit from the counter.
2. Make it welcoming
Some shoppers may be hesitant to finalise their purchase, so make sure your counter invites them and puts them at ease. With subtle prompts and smart displays, you can guide customers right to your checkout stand,
Spruce up your counter with these steps:
- Freshen up the air: Candles and diffusers are perfect for adding subtle calming fragrances and holiday scents.
- Warm lighting: With the right lights, you can make your counter a focal point that draws in shoppers. Make sure to avoid harsh fluorescent lights and opt for warm incandescent or LED lights.
- Add some plants: Add some greenery to your counters, but make sure to avoid high pollinator flowers that could aggravate a shopper’s allergies.
3. Use visual merchandising
While your staff members are crucial for making sales, your store’s floor plan can encourage customers to buy more. If you only implement one of the store counter ideas, make sure it is visual merchandising.
Checkout lanes are perfect for capturing last-minute sales for daily essentials for your industry. While you can sell general goods like snacks, you will want items explicitly targeted for your shoppers.
Adding commonly used add-on items for your products to your counter can boost cart value. For example, if you sell electronics, you can include batteries. Likewise, you can place duct tape and glue at checkout if you run a hardware store.
Additionally, you can use your counter for advertising your store’s gift cards. Add a gift card stand with varying denominations to show customers that they can get a card that easily matches their budget. Make sure these retail displays change seasonally to remind customers that now is the time to buy holiday gifts.
4. Promote your loyalty program
Do you reward your repeat customers? If not, you should start today. Considering that repeat customers spend 67% more than first-time buyers, it is wise to implement a customer loyalty program to show them how much they mean to your store.
To start, you should include a small flyer by your register that briefly explains the benefits of the program. For example, you could say how much shoppers typically save on each purchase or list a few of the rewards they receive during the year.
Most of all, make sure your employees ask each customer if they are a rewards member. If not, they should ask if the shopper wants to sign up. Once these guests are on your list, you can send out targeted email offers to encourage them to return and spend more.
5. Show off your employees and community involvement
It’s always smart to build personal relationships with your customers. Shoppers want human connection, which is a reason why many turn to in-person retailers over online stores. By showing your guests that your employees are real humans and are involved in the community, you can add a human element to your business.
Start by recognising the Employee of the Month by your checkout area. You can hang photos of the employee behind your store counters or feature them on your digital displays. For a more subtle touch, you can add a badge to an employee’s name tag to recognise their good work. On top of all this, be sure to give your employees a shout out on social media when they win the award.
Do you participate in any community events? If so, make sure to take photos and display them near your checkout. If this doesn’t match your store’s design, you can simply include the logos and names of organisations you work with.
Shoppers want to support businesses that are involved in the community. A study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Collat School of Business found that retailers build stronger customer relationships from being involved, which can make consumers choose local stores over online retailers.
6. Use a modern point of sale
Traditional cash registers are easy to operate, but they lack the features needed to keep up with the modern economy. Running a cash-only business will discourage guests from returning, especially since almost half of Americans have less than $20 in their wallets.
Worst of all, traditional registers and outdated point of sale machines are slow and unreliable. Calculating change takes time, old credit and debit card machines can take time to process transactions too. When these systems malfunction, you can lose sales and damage your reputation.
The Epos Now point of sale system is the complete package to run your store. Aside from processing transactions quickly and securely, you get the following benefits with our cloud-based POS:
- Inventory management: You can add, remove, and update stock easily from your till or handheld device.
- Countless integrations: Connect with applications to help with accounting, email marketing, payment processing, and much more.
- 24/7 remote access: Manage your Back Office from any device, anywhere, thanks to the cloud.
- Cross-channel selling: Connect your store with your e-commerce website to consolidate all sales in one location.
7. Encourage social media shares
Customers choose to shop at your store for a reason, so what’s stopping you from asking them to share the good deals?
To boost social media shares, add a QR and your handles code flyer to your counter. These will let customers quickly connect with your brand online where you can re-engage with them later.
At the same time, be sure to create a company hashtag for users to find your products online. Be sure to include your hashtag on receipts and bags to subtly encourage shoppers to share their hauls after purchase. These organic posts can introduce countless consumers to your brand at no extra cost.
Grow your store with Epos Now
Epos Now provides hardware and software for businesses across the globe. Our cloud POS software runs on computers, tablets, and handheld devices, making them fully adaptable to all types of businesses.