As town centres continue to outperform cities in their return to normal footfall levels in the first weeks and months of 2022, it is vital that businesses and communities respond to changing consumer trends to support ongoing recovery and growth.
Recent data analysed by the Financial Times indicates that around 75% of UK local authorities found that physical sales at local retailers had increased compared to pre-covid levels. Most notably, commuting has dropped away in favour of hybrid WFH models, with commuters opting to shop closer to home in a shift towards convenience culture – culminating in a more successful recovery of footfall in regional urban areas. Moreover, the continued uncertainty surrounding foreign travel paired with the comparative ease of planning a domestic staycation has seen the levels of hotel and holiday home bookings in the UK remain high for key holiday dates for 2022.
The popularity of weekend roadtrips, city breaks and rural family holidays paired with the increased presence of local residents in town centres will inevitably give rise to demands for greater digital connectivity. Not only is this now considered an essential to optimising the visitor experience, digital connectivity is vital in order for businesses to harness and futureproof their economic potential.
Offering free public WiFi creates the opportunity to develop a new town centre experience, with tangible benefits for both locals and visitors. From maximising the use of public spaces, to providing greater access to essential services such as healthcare, public transport and council information; free public WiFi enables higher uptake of community engagement, and the ability for those with limited broadband to take part in the digital economy. Free public WiFi also enables more agile interactions between visitors and businesses, helping them to browse websites, access maps, and plan their holiday itineraries – as well as take part in digital initiatives such as QR-driven heritage trails. Leveraged correctly with analytics and reporting, a free public WiFi solution can also provide individualised content for customers, while helping local businesses and councils to improve their services.
With over 500 live networks across the UK, Inkspotwifi has grown rapidly to become one of the leading suppliers of public WiFi networks in high-footfall areas. We have a range of experience in building outdoor networks, providing our clients with a fully bespoke service from site survey and hardware installation to fully customised landing pages and analytics reports. As well as building your network, we also provide footfall counting services, and opportunities to monetise your connections via our AdCard platform.
For more information on how free public WiFi can benefit your high street regeneration, contact us today!
📞 0131 556 4034
📧 [email protected]
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