Business: tips for more customers
Since COVID hit the globe, businesses have taken a massive hit and many stores are suffering because of the global pandemic. A lot of businesses have been forced to close down and you will find that many physical stores are struggling to get foot traffic into their stores during these times. Your store might be opening up again after lockdown and you might want to know how to reopen your store again or simply how to attract customers into your store. If your business needs help, here are a few tips, and if you would like extra help, you could check out Socital, for more like this.
Have an online store
This sounds counterintuitive but a lot of customers will check online stores to see if they have stock before going into the actual physical store. You have to have the right information and stock in store and a good trick is you can arrange it in such a way that customers can purchase online and then pick up their purchases in store, this is a good way to get the customer into the store because customers generally do not like to pay for delivery costs. You can also offer an incentive for example you could offer 15% off of their purchase if they decide to pick up in store. Customers will jump at a chance to save on a purchase. Finally, if a customer is unhappy with their purchase after seeing it in person, they will have the opportunity to return it because they will be in the store.
Display your products well
Another tip is to display your products well. This is very important. Your window displays should look appealing and your popular products should be showcased first. A window display must invite the customer into the store so make it visually appealing. Window displays also encourage customers to impulse buy if done correctly. Use a window display as a chance to really be creative and lure people into your store and encourage them to look at the products you have on offer. A few tips for a great display includes:
- Be aware of your target audience.
- Place key items at eye level.
- Consider your environment.
- Tell a story don’t just sell a product.
- Avoid clichés.
- No clutter.
Also a good display incorporates a theme, colour and style.
Know what has to go
You need to evaluate your business and know what is working and what simply isn’t. This means knowing what stock isn’t popular, you should have a sale with these products. You also need to evaluate your employees, do they have product knowledge? Are they delivering good customer service? You need to review your employees work duties and habits and compare it to the expectations. This is done so that you can evaluate if your employees are able to do their job effectively or not. You can also use the information to decide on possible promotions or raises and bonuses.
Email and SMS
One of the oldest methods of getting customers that still works is email marketing. You can use emails to inform customers about promotions, sales and product updates. You can even take it a step further and wish them a happy birthday if you have your customer’s date of birth. This form of marketing persuades the customer to come back to the store and sending birthday wishes helps build a relationship with your customer. SMSes are also still popular. SMSes are 99% guaranteed to get read compared to email ads so it is very effective to send out SMSes. You should create a VIP text message list for your store and occasionally send out texts offering deals and promotions to customers who visit the store. Sending an out SMSes is great because it allows greater sending frequency and volume.
Sandwich board signs
This is an old but effective method that is cheap to do. The sandwich board sign method attracts food traffic and it allows you to display almost anything. This is a great method to get new customers and it can be changed every day. It is inexpensive and you can use high quality colour graphics to make your sign stand out. Before you use this method make sure you check with local authorities for signage regulations and note that weekends have the highest traffic.
