17 Effective ideas to boost sales at retail checkout counters
Ecommerce or online shopping platforms are giving a fierce competition to the local retail stores. Right from their services to the shopping experience, everything is convenient, simple, fast, comfortable, and attractive. An eCommerce site with a perfect navigation and payment system provides the best shopping experience to every user. If you are operating a retail store, you know the standards you need to maintain to enjoy higher ROI and bear the competition from online stores. In this, you may expect a huge contribution from the checkout area of your store. This area is the land of opportunity for your store if you know how to use it.
Before we move ahead and understand all the strategies and ideas that can be implanted to boost sales at your retail checkout counter, let us understand why this area is critical.
Why is the checkout counter area of your store important?
While making the payment and checking out from the store, customers might think that this is the final phase of their purchasing journey. However, for you, it can be the beginning of a new relationship with your customer, and you better start it on a pleasant and engaging note. A positive impression created at the checkout corner can have a lasting impact on the customer, which might motivate them to return to the store, hoping to make more purchases.
Let us now understand how we can do this.
17 Proven ideas to boost sales at retail checkout counters
1. Stock inexpensive essentials
If you are stocking only Novelty items at the checkout area, we suggest stocking inexpensive basic/daily items too. The type of essential items will depend upon the kind of products you sell at the store. Most of the time, people shop for novelty items and tend to forget daily Essentials products. At a checkout counter, you can remind customers of the essential items they might have forgotten to shop for.
2. Trigger impulse purchases
As per the report issued by CreditCards.com, among all the participants involved in the survey, 84% have made impulse purchases, and 79% of the respondents of the survey have made the most of their impulse purchases in a store. If you follow this and many such statistics, you will understand the criticality of installing POS at the counter.
Why?
Because the very fact that the customer has reached the check out point states that he/she is ready to make more purchases if motivated or tempted.
How to motivate them to go for impulse buying?
The most attractive and effective impulse products are pocket friendly, small, and self-explanatory. These are the items that can be easily added to the shopping list by the customers. To make impulse purchases more frequent and sure-shot, keep these products at a visible area with attractive packaging. Here are a few examples of the best products which are the most suitable to promote impulse purchase:
Gift cards & discounted items.
Seasonal items (greeting cards, decorations items, etc.)
Small essential products like a band-aid, candies, chewing gum, etc.
Household essentials like batteries.
Small toys and travel essentials like wet tissues, hand sanitizers, small perfume bottles, etc.
The only caution you need to take is that your choice of products do not confuse customers and overwhelm them. Plus, remember that the product placement has to be at the eye level. For example, if you are a toy store, then place products in such a way that they are easily visible to the kids.
3. Convey the right message
It is all about effectively conveying the right message to the right customer at the right time without disturbing customers’ comfort and convenience. There are many real-life examples where the stores have increased their sales in double digits by simply putting signage to the stores and to the product shelves.
You can add signage to the other visible areas such as the outside area of the store, front window, or door, outside changing rooms. Check out counter is also a critical area.
Now that you know how to explore the area of installing these signages, what matters is the message or the content written on these signs. Depending upon the area where the signs are installed, write appropriate and attractive messages. These messages should be polite, friendly, non-offensive, and positive.
4. Playful or Professional?
In simple words, your cash wrap design matters. All those store visitors who are actually going to buy from you will give it a look. Don’t you want to increase their attention span and boost your chances for higher revenue? Don’t you want them to remember the shopping experience and return for more purchases?
That is why it is important to make the check out counters stand out with the help of creative decorations and colors. The theme can be of your choice. It is up to you and your perspective whether you want to go for playful decoration or professional. The approach you choose will decide the way the customers will remember you.
The only thing to remember is no matter what theme you choose, be consistent. In case you have a website, make sure the theme is uniform.
5. Equip a good POS system
Installing an advanced POS system will not only make the purchasing process smooth but will also add to the look of the store. Apart from attractive decoration, the most crucial process is a satisfying and comfortable check out experience. Customers prefer this as much as an actual buying experience.
The POS system you install has to be fast, comfortable, and interactive or personal. Customers hate waiting in line, especially when caused due to the store’s inefficient payment system. POS system resolves all these issues, and you can keep customized data that is accessible and retrievable whenever the customer comes to the checkout counter to make the payment. In short, POS is a modern cash register.
6. Adjust the lightning
Perfect lighting at the right places with the right brightness affects customers’ buying behavior. It is also a way of attracting customers’ attention to high-end products and make these products appear even more luxurious. If budget is a constraint for you and you wish to go for a sustainable solution, you can use attractive LED lighting. These lightings are more efficient and last longer.
7. Add greenery
It is proven by many studies that plants add positivity to the ambiance and improve moods. Happy customers tend to spend more compared to those who are feeling low or negative. Additionally, indoor plants add to the store staff’s positivity also, and they can work with a relaxed mind (adding to their performance).
Depending upon the size and structure of your store, choose the plants. To add an attractive factor to the interior of the store, you can use upcycled planters.
8. Utilize the back-wall
That space behind the checkout counter is a perfect place to display products to boost sales. This is more helpful for small stores. The main selling area in any store is always crowded and stuffed with different kinds of products. However, when it comes to the cash counter or the checkout area, you have a scope to highlight or display only those products which are easy to buy for any customer or of high quality and need special attention. Newly arrived products for those products with a discount can be displayed here. The front right wall of the store is called a power wall. As per the studies, 90% of the customers tend to turn right when they enter the store.
9. Digitization
Allow your customers to explore the store and its offerings digitally. In today’s digital world, people, especially the young crowd, will love to explore the store online. Installing a tablet or a computer system for such customers will make them feel relatable. You can also run an automated, designed display on the computer system, which will be all the specialties and offerings one by one.
10. Make a statement
How about displaying a witty remark on your cash wrap. You can write compelling content or a message that:
- shows off your brand’s identity.
- is humorous and makes your customers laugh and relax.
- emphasizes on the values you hold.
11. Encourage social shares
The world nowadays revolves around like, share, and subscribe to activities. Using social media platforms is hence a great idea. Make it a part of your sales and marketing activities to experience positive customer responses. One of the inexpensive and effective ways of leveraging social media platforms will be to give a postcard to the customers at the checkout counter requesting them to post their memories and experience or purchasing moments with the store on social media platforms.
12. Make it seasonable
Make your checkout counter more sensible and rather relatable to the customers and the period of the time. In short, don’t be static or repetitive or dull and make seasonal decorations at the counter. For example, if it is Christmas, decor, and design the store, including the checkout area with a Christmas theme. Keep things fresh and eye-catchy.
13. Make health and safety a priority.
The world is yet to recover completely from the hit of a COVID 19, and hence, everybody is cautious about store visits and physical or in-person shopping activities. As a responsible business and as a citizen, you need to make sure that your customers and staff feel safe while in the store. Depending upon the store, you can consider the following measures:
Installing plexiglass to build a physical barrier between customers and the cashiers, Sanitizer at the entry of the store, etc.
14. Add a bit of “you”
Your checkout counter area must reflect on your story and personality. It is all good if you have a good interior perfect lighting greenery in the store; however, all of this has to have a personal touch, which comes when you add a bit of “you” within it. Your counter will tell customers what the store is all about. You can put up the inauguration of your store, or it’s anniversary or visit of celebrities, etc. If you contribute to any charity, mention that. Anything that gets your store a personality.
15. Display inspiring messages
Use your check out area to spread positivity and good vibes. How about displaying a positive quote by a spiritual guru? Or a thought that can put a smile on customers’ faces.
16. Add a TV screen behind you
One more way of taking your sales game a notch up is to install television screens. TV screens will optimize the shopping experience and give a classy look to the store. It is a way of emphasizing the USPs of your products and store. Or you can simply use it to entertain customers, play soft music to enhance the pleasure of shopping, etc.
17. Train the staff
Make sure your staff knows what your goals are. Whether you are promoting specific products or trying to boost sales, your staff must know about it. It is your staff who is going to interact with the customers. You don’t want them to be oblivious to the goals.
Your store will surely witness a better response from customers if you incorporate all or at least a few of these checkout counter-strategies.
