You can find studies online who showed that people tend to stay longer in bars and restaurants if they can connect their devices. Longer stay means they are more likely to spend more money.
It is common to have a free Wi-Fi in a hotel, pub, restaurant or office. Still you find some places that don’t offer internet connection. There are many benefits that comes with offering free Wi-Fi and we will mention some of them, in the end you might change your mind if you don’t provide complimentary Wi-Fi.
Let’s see what are the biggest benefits of having a free Wi-Fi as a complimentary service.
Bringing new customers
Having a free Wi-Fi is a good way to attract new customers and it has a minimal investment costs. A lot of people don’t like to go for a coffee when they are alone as they would feel bored. Being able to connect to social networks and interact with their friends removes the feeling of solitude and boredom. Another targeted group would be tourists. During a daytime most locals are at work so you want to reach out to tourists. Tourists have time for a coffee, tea or beer at any given time. Having a Wi-Fi to connect and share your current meal or a drink is just a benefit to them.
Marketing and Advertisement
Free Wi-Fi is a great and easy way to get your advert or special promotion out there. Setting up a “guest” account will let you share your special offers while your customers connect. Having a free Wi-Fi can get you gain Likes and Followers on Facebook or Twitter and let`s not forget Foursquare, an application where user immediately update and share his location. This is a free form of publicity to their friends and followers. If your customers like it their friends might as well.
Costs
Installing a wireless network hardware is reasonable compared with wired cables and it is easier to maintain. It is much easier to expand your network with setting up another access point.
Security
Security is the biggest concern and setting up a secured Wi-Fi for your business should be top priority for numerous reasons. If you are not tech savvy it is better to let your provider make the setup for Wi-Fi hotspot. Wi-Fi works like a radio and waves can be intercepted. Make sure that hacker does not have an access to your traffic, in case of cyber-attack, you and you clients can lose sensitive data (passwords and bank info).
Additional read, Sony hack in 2015, this example made many small businesses and large corporations to rethink their security when it comes to data theft.