Should I Offer Wi-Fi at My Franchise?

Overseas, wi-fi is largely a standard feature freely available at business premises and in public spaces. Here in South Africa, though, such wi-fi services are as rare as hen’s teeth. While South African business owners seem averse to it, offering it to your customers could be a smart move. Find out more…

What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi stands for wireless local area network, and it’s a facility which allows desktop computers, laptops and mobile devices to connect to the internet and computer networking via radio frequency, rather than via the plethora of wires required in the old days

What are the Advantages of Offering it to Customers?

Nowadays most of our offices are hooked up to wi-fi, so why not extend the service to your visitors? Recent research on small retail business in America suggests offering complimentary wi-fi is advantageous by:

• Increasing foot traffic, since more and more customers (particularly millennials) are actively seeking out and choosing business which do offer it over those which do not
• Increasing the amount of time a customer spends at the premises
• Increasing the amount of money they spend while they’re there.

And the Disadvantages?

There is one main drawback – in South Africa broadband is far more costly than it is internationally. This means that, for a small business, offering unlimited free wi-fi can be prohibitive. But there are a couple of creative workarounds:

• Offer free wi-fi for a limited time period – half an hour is reasonable
• Thereafter, customers can log on via a paid service – partner up with AlwaysOn
• Offer free wi-fi for the duration of the customer’s visit in exchange for them signing up to your mailing list or for spending a certain amount of money.