The weather is warm, the days are long and families are on vacation. Many people love to browse through stores like yours while vacationing, so you’ll need to be ready to greet new customers.
It’s time to prep your store for the summer with our essential checklist. These simple tips can make the most of summer business.
Boost your staff.
Especially if your brick and mortar store is in an area which routinely hosts high summer traffic, it’s a good idea to be ready with more staff.
If you normally hire students over the summer, re-hire those who’ve been with you in the past. This saves you valuable training time and returns a familiar face to your outlet your customers will be happy to see.
A line up at the cash register isn’t what happy vacationers want to see, so make sure you have enough floor staff on hand to prevent that from happening.
Make sure your staff is trained in the seasonal realities of making out of town visitors feel welcome. Asking where they’re from and if they’re enjoying their visit is a great way to roll out the retail red carpet.
Market to the season.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get out the calendar and start planning for events like Labor Day, as well as local highlights.
Schedule promotions which speak to your customers, offering specials at key times and planning events like sidewalk sales around them. Bust out the balloons and lemonade and make your promotional events fun experiences.
Being ready for the events as they come means you can focus on keeping your customers happy. Offering value-added events enlivens your community, while drawing shoppers who may never have visited you before.
Summertime merchandising.
Your store window displays should spell “summer” now, in letters 10 feet high. Highlight seasonal events. If your area has a country fair, fill your window with a display that evokes that vibe.
Remember to include products which appeal to vacationers. Small souvenir items, travel essentials, summer clothing and sunglasses all fit the bill. These can also make an appearance in a prominent POP display inside, or as part of a summer essentials display feature.
Your windows are the first thing shoppers see, so keep them summertime specific. Just add beach balls, shells, colorful beach towels and a big, yellow sun to put your products in seasonal context.
Summer is an opportunity for many retailers. If we’re being honest, summer is a beloved season that many people spend the rest of the year dreaming of and looking forward to. Make your summer season special for customers and prosperous for you, with these simple tips.
Prep you store for the summer with our essential checklist and bring the best of summer to your customers, whether stalwarts or visitors.
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