The Benefits of Offering Wi-Fi to Your Customers

At brick-and-mortar food and drink destinations around the world, businesses are now offering free Wi-Fi to their customer due to the numerous benefits that can result from this practice.

According to a survey from Yankee Group and an article from the Los Angeles Times, 96 percent of respondents said they prefer businesses with Wi-Fi, and 64 percent of them reported that they chose to eat at a restaurant based upon whether or not it gave out free Wi-Fi.

Simply setting up a Wi-Fi router can increase your revenue, as well as boost your customer loyalty. The following are a few specific reasons why you should consider installing Wi-Fi in your store.

1.  Bring More People In

When you provide a service like free Wi-Fi, you have the power to attract more customers. That’s because people want somewhere to sit and work or look over their phones while they’re enjoying their meals. According to the same LA Times article, more than 60 percent of small businesses said they brought in extra customers by installing free Wi-Fi.

2. Invite Customers to Stay Longer

Most of your customers will probably come to your business, purchase a good or service, and leave. However, if you supply free Wi-Fi, your customers will come to you when they need a place to get things done for a few hours or if they have a long meeting. Or, perhaps, they just like to be somewhere they can relax and use their phones while they’re at your business.

3. Encourage Customers to Spend More

In that same iGR study, the small businesses reported that about half of customers spent more money while they were using the Wi-Fi. If customers are staying at your business for hours on end and using your facilities, they will hopefully feel obligated to support you and buy more than one cup of coffee or tea. They also might want to purchase refills of their drinks once they go cold or additional food as the time goes by and they get hungry.

4. Generate Customer Loyalty

Wi-Fi is a great way to cultivate customer loyalty. Since you’re providing a service they need, they are going to repay you with repeat visits and more purchases. They know they can rely on you when they want to get online, and that’ll endear them towards your business.

Free Wi-Fi Best Practices

You’re convinced that you should offer free Wi-Fi for your customers. Now, it’s time to put some best practices in place to protect your clientele and provide them with the best experience at your business possible.

• Make your Wi-Fi password protected. That way, it’s harder for hackers to get into your network and steal your customers’ information.

• Use a WPA2 connection. It will encrypt all the data being sent across the network, so if hackers try to get in, the data will show up as a jumbled, incoherent mess of information.

• Make a homepage where customers can connect to the Wi-Fi. On this page, highlight your daily specials, rewards program and events going on at your store. Give customers the chance to enter their email addresses and subscribe to your newsletter.

• On that same homepage, display a policy that states customers are using the Wi-Fi at their own risk, and even offer some ways the customer can make their internet-surfing experience safer.

• Don’t set a time limit. You’re turning off customers who need more than an hour at your store.

When you supply stellar services to your customers like free Wi-Fi, they’re going to frequent your business more and be encouraged to support you.

As a business and legal writer, Kylie Ora Lobell writes for The Home Depot about the benefits offering Wi-Fi to your customers and properly setting up a router. You can find the Home Depot wireless router options that Kylie talks about in her article here online.