Beyond Retro: Creating Data-Led Marketing To Support Retail Footfall Growth

Contracted to implement data-led marketing project to support footfall growth initiative at a sustainable fashion retailer with 14 locations across UK, Sweden, and Finland.

Quick Summary

Beyond Retro needed data-led marketing practices to support their footfall growth initiative across 14 retail locations. Chris McLellan, an AI-forward marketer, supported the client by executing the following activities:

• Conducting 16 stakeholder interviews across leadership, marketing, and store managers

• Identifying 10 fully-scored and scoped footfall strategies ready for testing

• Activating in-store customer survey collecting 50+ survey responses per week

• Building AI research assistant for ongoing marketing team support

  
  

The result is the Beyond Retro marketing team has a data-led approach supported by AI-generated insights to test programs to increase footfall at their retail locations.

Context

Beyond Retro is a leading sustainable fashion retailer with 14 locations across UK, Sweden, and Finland. A vibrant, youth-oriented brand selling unique items that do not easily translate to online sales, sustaining footfall is critical. Like many main street businesses, they were navigating shifting consumer habits, rising operational costs, and the ongoing challenge of giving customers a reason to visit in person. I was contracted to work with their marketing team to support their footfall growth with data-led marketing initiatives.

Objectives

• Identify strategies with potential to increase retail footfall by 12-15% YOY

• Create a customer feedback loop to inform footfall and merchandising strategies

• Advance adoption of data-led marketing within the organization

Approach

• Establish new data sources from staff and customers to identify testable, high-impact marketing programs to increase footfall at Beyond Retro retail locations.

Deliverables

• Created 4 week project plan (Airtable)

• Conducted 16 interviews with leadership, marketing, and store managers (Fellow AI)

• Delivered stakeholder survey to score footfall ideas (Google Forms, Google Sheets)

• Executed market research to identify successful retail trends

• Summarized insights from interviews and market research (NotebookLM)

• Established customer feedback loop via in-store surveys (Typeform, kiosks, staff training)

• Delivered stakeholder briefing that summarized data and recommendations

Results

• 600 pages of detailed interview transcript

• 10 fully-scored and scoped strategies to boost retail footfall

• 50+ customer survey results per week to identify footfall gaps and opportunities

About Chris McLellan

Chris McLellan is an AI-forward marketing professional with 15+ years' experience helping startups and scaleups grow. As a certified Chartered Marketer, he has delivered 50+ launch campaigns for companies backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Sir Richard Branson.

Chris is a member of the National AI Committee at the Canadian Marketing Association, Founder and volunteer producer at Ask AI, a nonprofit AI focused on AI and the future of work, and co-author and Technical Lead of the Data Collaboration Framework, a Canadian international standard in data ownerships and digital innovation