There’s finally light at the end of the tunnel, and we’ve put together some considerations for reopening your business after covid.

Every state is now in some phase of the reopening process, and over a quarter of the population has been vaccinated against the coronavirus. In-store restaurant and retail visits are up 55.1% compared to this time in 2020, according to our own data. Visits have also been steadily increasing since the beginning of the year and are up 31.5% since January, according to Adentro foot traffic data. 

With the nation moving full steam ahead toward normal retail activity, it’s important for brick-and-mortar businesses to be prepared to capitalize on the influx of in-store shoppers. Here are four considerations for reopening your business after covid:

Make Sure Your Tech is Ready to Go

Your access points (APs) are the WiFi-providing devices around which Adentro is built. They allow us to identify potential customers and are crucial to get the maximum value out of Adentro. Make sure your APs are still plugged in and functioning properly. If you’re having difficulty bringing your APs online, please email support@adentro.com for assistance.

Additionally, consider ways to increase contact collection, like calling out that Free WiFi is available or even using a QR code to make connecting to WiFi even easier for your customers—all the customer needs to do is scan and log in. 

In preliminary tests, we’ve seen up to a 30% increase in contact collection with the addition of signage and QR codes. You can get your QR code printed on cocktail napkins, table tents, or coasters—create yours for free on this site.

Adopt An Omnichannel Mindset

As brick-and-mortars continue to reopen and people start returning to a sense of normalcy, you have an opportunity to generate in-store sales as well as maintain the online business you’ve built up over the past year (delivery & pickup orders, ecommerce, etc.). 

Now more than ever, it’s important to track both online and in-person conversions and optimize both of these spaces for your consumers. Here are a few ideas on how to create a seamless experience for your patrons:

• Add an Adentro sign-up form to your site. All contacts collected this way will be automatically pushed into the contact list in your dashboard.
• Prominently display your phone number. (Also include a “click to call” feature. It’s best to have the phone number in the top right corner of the homepage and on all actionable web pages, like your online order or checkout page.) 
• Create strong CTAs. Always entice the visitor to complete an action, whether it’s to purchase merchandise, order online, reserve a table, review top menu items, etc.
• Ensure that navigation through the online order process is easy and intuitive, especially if you have multiple locations.
• Make sure your customers are aware of your WiFi amenity. Adentro provides free table tents and stickers, or for a more subtle approach, mention it at the bottom of your printed receipts. Also check your social profiles to ensure free WiFi is listed as one of your offerings.
• And don’t forget to check the mobile version of your site for optimized functionality, too. Here’s a great resource to help you do mobile the right way.

Update Your Marketing Materials

If you haven’t already, start thinking through your new marketing strategy and begin preparing your updated content now. As restrictions are lifted and stores begin to re-open, competition is getting fierce and consumers are creating new relationships with businesses as they establish new routines. 

Marketing is going to be critical to your competitive advantage during this time period, so make sure you’re at the head of the pack by having a deep stable of assets ready so all you have to do is push “go” when the time comes. 

This includes updating all Smart Email messaging, email campaigns, hotspots, site content, etc. Now is a great opportunity to freshen up your messaging and review your content for grammatical errors—and also to try out new messaging and graphics.

Hone Your Ads Strategy

Strategize with your Adentro account manager on what your social and display ads strategy will look like moving forward. Some things to think about: 

• Target your lost customer audiences—the ones who visited your business previously but haven’t been back in a while—with ads to let them know that you’re back open for business. 
• If you’re looking to generate buzz in the community and attract new customers, you can build a lookalike audience based on your prior customers to drive new guests into your business for the first time. 
• Understand that your customer base may have very different opinions on whether or not making in-person visits is acceptable: there will be those who are itching to get out and those who will be more cautious in this new post-quarantine era. Make sure you acknowledge both of these mindsets in your site content. Communicate how you’re continuing to prioritize your customers’ and employees’ wellbeing. 
• Decide what metrics will you focus on to measure success on different channels and collectively across all of your campaigns.

Timing is Everything

If you take nothing else away from this article, understand this: the time to make adjustments and preparations for reopening is right now. Not only will this offer you a competitive advantage in your local market, but it also increases the likelihood that customers will start re-engaging with your business sooner rather than later.

As your partner through these difficult times, we are here to help in any way we can. Please don’t hesitate to reach out while reopening your business after covid.

Support site: support.adentro.com/

Email: support@adentro.com

Phone: (800) 807-9434

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