Your parking lot is the first thing your customers see, giving them their first impression of your business, and a well-kept lot can give them a better experience when shopping at your retail store. Here are a few things you can do to make your parking lot more inviting for customers.

Sealcoat

Sealcoating can help to extend the life of your asphalt parking lot. When you arrange for your lot to be sealcoated, your contractors will also work to repair any potholes and cracks in the pavement. This gives your lot a fresh look and a uniform surface for your customers to park on, If your lot hasn't been sealcoated recently, talk to an asphalt contractor about arranging for this work to be done.

Lot Re-Striping

One your parking lot is sealcoated, you'll need to have the lot re-striped to create the parking spaces your customers will use. Take this opportunity to make your lot a bit more user friendly by designating new parking areas. You can have the painters create a parcel pickup lane at the front of your store, and you can also designate certain parking spaces for "stork parking" to accommodate shoppers who are expecting. Be sure to have the painters add designated spaces for handicapped parking to comply with local regulations and to make your business more accessible.

Customer Walkways

Parking lots can be difficult for pedestrians to navigate, so consider creating safe walkways they can use to get to their cars without having to worry about vehicles backing up or driving down the aisles. You can do this by creating a new layout for your parking lot. Have your asphalt contractors add pavement islands that run in between each row of parking spaces, which customers can use to safely walk to their cars. These islands should be wide enough to allow your customers to walk with shopping carts in either direction. Add cart corrals that are open to the islands, so customers can return shopping carts safely as well.

Traffic Signs

You can help to control the flow of traffic in the parking lot and make it easier for customers to cross over from the parking lot to your building with the addition of a few extra traffic signs. Consider adding stop signs at the beginning of each parking aisle, so customers can be assured of having the right-of-way. You can also work with your local government to have traffic signs or signals added to the area near your business entrance to help make it easier for customers to enter and leave your lot.

Work with your asphalt contractor, and come up with a new parking lot layout and plan that puts your customers first