The tips and tricks to increase your footfall

Post-Christmas can be a difficult time of year for the UK pub trade as the cold weather and often tight purse strings following the festive period deters people from going down their local and spending money. This obviously has a negative impact on landlords as they face an uphill battle on getting people through the door to keep their businesses afloat, in what is currently a very turbulent time for the trade. So, how can landlords fight back against the squeeze on the industry? Of course, there is no simple answer, but there are several tips and tricks publicans can utilise to help boost footfall and increase revenue. One of those is by installing a touchscreen entertainment system. These simple, easy to use pieces of equipment can inject a lively atmosphere into the quietest of sleepy pubs through an array of games, music, quizzes, bingo and even karaoke. Especially prevalent in the UK’s entertainment, hospitality and holiday sectors, the best systems are backed by an experienced team of product development engineers, who ensure the range of entertainment and jukebox features remain innovative business propositions. The idea behind the system is to meet the constantly changing market requirements of the UK pub sector, as technology, social habits and tastes evolve. Diversifying is key. The concept of middle-aged and elderly men using pubs to just drink beer is long in the past. It’s now a social hub for everyone to congregate and have a good time, no matter their age. Crucially, touchscreen entertainment systems are designed with everyone in mind. Landlords can use the systems to host weekly quiz or karaoke nights for loyal regulars, as well as large community and charity events with just the touch of a button. Younger demographics are also more commonplace in UK pubs today, so being able to interact with the entertainment system via mobile phones helps to cater to their tech-savvy needs. However, it’s not just footfall that can be given a much-needed boost through the system’s inclusive capabilities, as most of the products on the market also incorporate an advertising feature which can bring in additional income. By enabling local businesses to reach out to a wider audience by projecting their services and details around the pub, the advertising feature provides an extra avenue of income, while helping to form new business partnerships. Overall, using touchscreen entertainment systems can help struggling pubs to flourish by offering thousands of interactive and inclusive features, be that music, games, quizzes or bingo. Their connectivity with other devices enables everyone to get involved, while the advertising side of the system also makes it a great public relations tool. Ultimately, the systems can be a landlord’s perfect weapon in combating the current squeeze on the UK pub trade, by ensuring people don’t just come to visit their pub, but stay too – the recipe for revival. Murray Rorison is head of operations at Mediatheme, the UK-based provider of touch screen entertainment