Providing Wi-Fi to customers can help attract repeat business as well as new customers, plus small businesses like restaurants and coffeeshops that offer customer wifi in their outdoor areas reap additional benefits.

Here are 4 ways how customer wifi can help your small business draw more customers and sales.

Customer WiFi Makes Outdoor Spaces More Attractive

Wifi can be a huge advantage for small businesses in the summer and fall months when more people want to spend time outside, whether working, studying or having fun.

Of course businesses located in milder climates enjoy the benefits of year-round wifi on their patios.

Wifi access to outside seating areas can help sway customers to choose your shop over competitors — with a space that’s inviting a wide range of customers who might otherwise pass you by.

For example, you become a draw to people who seek a wireless connection and a comfortable spot to set up their laptops and work or study on your patio. Also, customers who are simply looking for a place to enjoy a snack, meal or drink outdoors on a pleasant day.

Further, if you have an outside area that’s pet-friendly, offering a customer wifi connection gives local residents or summer vacationers with a dog in tow a make-sense, good reason to stop at your business.

Customer WiFi Improves the Customer Experience

Most customers prefer, and expect, businesses to provide wifi to customers, and that means outdoor seating areas too. Not having it can be a let-down. 

With wifi access, customer visits to your restaurant, cafe, coffee or ice cream shop or even salon or spa, are enhanced, and contribute to a more positive customer experience, which leads to customer loyalty and increases the likelihood of repeat business.

Sixty-one percent of customers search for free wifi at restaurants, according to a survey cited by Restaurant-Furniture.com, which provides custom-designed furniture to restaurants, bars and cafes.

Also, 36 percent told the poll they are more likely to frequent restaurants with wifi, 27 percent said they return to places with free wifi and 41 percent said having access to WiFi was important to them while dining and/or drinking.

“Once they have been seated at a table, they can use the internet to pass time as they wait for their order. By including free internet alone to the amenities can result a sharp increase of business manifold among restaurant owners,” says the post by Restaurant-Furniture.com.

Guest WiFi Encourages Longer Visits

Wifi access encourages customers to spend more time at your business, as it helps create a viable and comfortable environment for working, studying or socializing. Longer stays increases sales.

With easy wifi access, more people will view your business as a great place to hold a meeting or invite friends to join them.

“When customers can connect online, they tend to linger, explore your services, and make additional purchases,” writes David Wilson in a Small Business Trends article. 

Further, depending on the size of your space, customer wifi will make your business a practical venue for social gatherings or community meetings, which means larger parties and more customers who stay longer and buy more.

“Ultimately, a longer stay translates into higher revenue for your small business,” adds Wilson.

How Customer WiFi Creates Marketing Opportunities

Wifi opens up marketing opportunities for your business, including the free kind — giving easy social media access to customers who want to tag their location or post a shot of what they’re having at your restaurant or cafe. 

Those kinds of shout-outs go a long way toward spreading the word about your small business, and that’s particularly true if those customers have a large following.

Also, having a wifi and online presence increases the chance your business can be spotted on GPS maps, such as Google Maps, Yelp and Foursquare, giving direction to people who are searching for a place to eat or drink in your area.

“Offering free WiFi that is fast and efficient can put your business on the map and attract new customers,” explains the Restaurant-Furniture article. “Individuals who are passing by who may not notice you will see your network. WiFi can work in the form of free advertisement, especially on mobile devices.”

If you’re interested in exploring options for providing wifi access at your business, including to outdoor areas, see this.