The Pleasant Pitter Patter of Customer Feet

“Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible”

Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance

Every restaurant owner knows the struggle – spending big bucks on marketing campaigns, only to measure success by the number of guest tickets sold. But what about foot traffic? The number of people walking through your doors, whether they become customers or not, is a crucial metric that often gets overlooked.

Here’s why foot traffic matters: it’s the key to understanding your customer base and cultivating repeat business. According to industry studies, healthy restaurants have a customer return rate of 40% or higher. That’s significant, considering that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. In fact, a mere 5% increase in customer retention can boost profits by a whopping 25-95%.

So, how do you measure foot traffic effectively? Sure, you could try Google’s “Store Visits Measurement” feature, but let’s be real – navigating that labyrinth is about as fun as deveining a truckload of shrimp. And for many smaller restaurants, it’s not even an option due to budget constraints.

Enter WiFi tracking. Your trusty WiFi network can detect every phone that enters your establishment, whether the customer connects or not. Platforms like Vivaspot analyze this data to provide detailed reports on proximity (did they come in?), engagement (how long did they stay?), and loyalty (were they a new or repeat visitor?).

With WiFi tracking, you can even measure foot traffic during specific time periods, like that Instagram ad campaign you ran last week. Talk about valuable insights!

In the end, it all comes down to understanding your customers – right down to their footsteps. The Japanese philosophy of Kaizen emphasizes continuous improvement by “knowing your customer.” And what better way to do that than by literally tracking their movements?

So, let’s put some Kaizen into your business. Embrace WiFi tracking, and start making data-driven decisions that will keep your customers coming back for more.