Effects of Curb Appeal on Business Traffic
It’s no shock to anyone that people make first impressions based on appearance. When it comes to owning a business, many owners tend to overlook the importance of a clean, professional looking exterior. Curb appeal is that first impression new customers get before entering a business, and it can have a large effect on if that customer enters or not. When the customer sees an unkempt exterior, it negatively influences what they think of that company. They will perceive the business to be the same as what they see on the exterior. Curb appeal can be a well lit sign, fresh paint, and even making sure the parking lot is cleared of snow in the winter.
In a 2011 survey, results showed that 95% of customers decide where to shop based on a store’s external appearance. When more research was done on why they chose not to enter a certain place, 40% of customers said that it did not compare to places they would normally buy from, more than half mentioned the unkempt storefront, and two thirds stated a businesses appearance from the street influenced whether they entered or not (O’Connor, Maureen). Another study conducted found that 70% of sales from first time customers were all from curb appeal (The Best Ways to Boost Business Curb Appeal). When another poll was done, 80% of people said they would enter a store they had never been in before simply based on a clean, professional looking exterior (Buiocchi, Tom). These statistics clearly show the importance of curb appeal on the amount of traffic a business gets.