If your retail business hinges on high customer foot traffic, then you might want to invest on offering free Wi-Fi to your customers. While it may sound like an unneeded expense as well as a potential security risk—Wi-Fi hacking does exist after all—you’ll be happy to know that the benefits far outweigh the potential downsides. To prove this, we’ve compiled the following list of ways a retail business can benefit from having retail business Wi-Fi connectivity.
It improves customer experience
Whether your small business is a small family restaurant, a cozy coffee shop, or even a pharmacy, there’s a good chance that your customers will have to do a bit of waiting before they’re served – and no one likes waiting. When you offer free Wi-Fi to your customers, you give them something to be preoccupied with, thus making their stay within your business premises a whole lot more pleasant and also productive.
It brings in more customers
Let’s be clear here: once you offer free Wi-Fi to your customers, inevitably there will be some people who will step into your place of business just to take advantage of it as an amenity—just like how some people will often come in to a business just to use their restrooms. The important thing here is that you’ve given them a reason to come in and see what you’re selling, as opposed to not having one at all. In fact, they may even actually buy something once they’ve enjoyed the free Wi-Fi enough. It’s all about opportunity.
It makes customers spend more time—and thus money—in your place of business
Starbucks is a stellar example of this. By offering free Wi-Fi at their locations, they’ve turned their outlets from just a place you get your coffee from to actually somewhere you can meet up with friends and hang out while also browsing the Internet. And the longer these customers stay there, the more they’ll be spending as well, beyond their initial purchase.
It helps customers make purchasing decisions on the spot
Many customers usually look up reviews online to see what other people think of a certain service or product before actually purchasing them. By giving them free Wi-Fi, you empower your customers to make their purchasing decisions on the spot, as well as convince themselves that yes, the product or service they’re about to purchase from you is well worth their money.
It’s free advertising
Offering free Wi-Fi also lets your customers share their positive experiences of your business through their social media. This is not only a great way to get seen and heard by a huge audience with no extra cost, but it also makes your business look more personable and friendly—especially to those who haven’t heard about your business before.
It provides more marketing opportunities
You can set your free Wi-Fi network just so that whenever a customer tries to connect to it, they have to navigate a landing page to agree to your terms of services first. This landing page can be tailored to advertise your business as well as promote special offers and discounts that you’ve currently got ongoing.
Small businesses stand to gain so much more if they choose to offer free Wi-Fi to customers than if they don’t. Not only does it help endear the business to customers, but it also lets the business leverage the power of the Internet for marketing and advertising purposes for little to no cost. Small businesses only need to make sure that they take the necessary security measures in order to protect themselves and their customers from cybercrimes.
Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/sc/business-benefits-free-wifi-2016-5
http://www.ict-pulse.com/2011/08/6-ways-your-business-can-benefit-from-offering-free-wi-fi/
https://accucode.com/blog/5-benefits-offering-free-wi-fi-customers/