How To Boost Sales At Your Retail Store
To ensure your retail business thrives, you have to find a way to guarantee a steady stream of sales. While the approaching holiday period tends to bode well for retail stores (on average, holiday sales represent 20% of annual sales across most industries), this goal can be harder to achieve given the current cost of living crisis.
While you should expect sales volumes to ebb and flow from time to time, there are certain steps you can take to boost sales at your retail store.
Create eye-catching window displays.
Increased foot traffic = increased sales. As a result, you must find a way to make your retail shop stand out on the high street if you want to succeed in the long term. The easiest way to achieve this goal is to create an eye-catching window display that not only showcases your best products but also gives passersby an incentive to step inside and find out more. A good window display includes:
- Well-presented and well-lit products.
- Eye-catching signs.
- Incentives (Sales/discount details)
- Bright and bold colors.
Play music.
By now, you’re probably well aware of the fact that music can impact your mood (both positively and negatively). However, you can use this to your advantage in a retail environment by playing music that will put a smile on your customer’s faces. For example, you could play happy, upbeat music to lift their spirits, or calm, soothing songs to help them relax. This will subtly encourage them to spend more time in your store checking out your products and could also positively impact sales. To test this theory, be sure to sign up for SiriusXM business music streaming.
Offer discounts to returning customers.
Discount codes or coupons may seem counter-productive when it comes to bringing in more money to your business – after all, it means that you’re selling your goods for cheaper than their usual retail price. However, as these discounts encourage repeat custom for your business, it’s well worth the initial loss – especially when you consider the fact that some of these customers may not have returned without the discount code.
Greet your customers at the door. When trying to get your business off the ground, it’s crucial that you lay the foundations for a strong relationship with your customers. After all, this is often considered the backbone of any successful company. One way in which you can work to strengthen this bond (and consequently boost sales) is by greeting customers at the door. There are many reasons why this works in your favor. Firstly, it means customers feel welcome and comfortable in-store. It also “opens the lines of communication so patrons are comfortable asking questions and receiving information about products.” This gives employees the chance to put their sales skills to the test, as they can use this as an opportunity to guide customers toward a sale. It also means they can help customers find what they are looking for quickly, resulting in a positive and stress-free shopping experience.