There are several completely legal tricks to get your customers to spend more in your store. Big retailers do it all in time to boost the bottom line.
Large retail stores keep "Sale", "Discount", "Up to 70% off" signs on windows.
Good news is that you don't have to lower the margins on everything. Pick some nice things and several overstocked things, and discount these, maintaining general price level. The most important step is to get a customer to your store. The worst that can happen, is that the person leaves without buying... But many do buy, if they're in already. By the way, loyalty systems work the same way by inviting customers to cash in the activity rewards and birthday discounts.
Supermarkets are purpose-built labyrinths.
A customer is destined to cruise the endless aisles from right to left, filling a huge shopping cart. As the US and most of the world drives on the right, people look right.
Strawberries with whipped cream.
Upselling is a sales technique whereby a seller induces the customer to purchase more expensive items, upgrades or other add-ons in an attempt to make a more profitable sale.
So the stuff retailers really want to sell, is on the right. And on the eye level. This is where you should put the merchandises with the best margins. Remember that kids are shorter. Put toys, sweets, and other kids' products where they can see and touch these.
In a good old retail maze, essential goods are placed so that a customer cannot skip some areas
Dairy products are usually hidden away in the back. Your client forgot to buy milk? The person will probably return to the shopping cart with hands full of rice noodles, chocolates and maybe, just maybe, an occasional bow tie. Even some web-based software companies use a similar trick, hiding their freeware behind layers of paid applications.
Customers often start shopping with an empty stomach
Coming from work, they already dream of a dinner. This is not really a retailers' conspiracy but the tasty smell of bread, bagels, croissants, pies, cakes and BBQ section is ready to seduce the hungry ones. Bakery aroma attracts customers and gets them even hungrier. Put these near the shop's entry. Other pleasant smells, like flowers, are retailers' handy associates, too.
The music
Running a sports store might ask for up-tempo music, but in general, the music in shopping malls is purposefully slow and sweet. Why? So that a customer would shop leisurely and spend more. Give a try to classical music, as it has proven to uplift customers' feelings to a higher level... and get them ready to buy expensive products.
