Everything heats up in the summer. And that should include your sales! Summer is an important time for businesses to regrow their sales after the statistically slower winter months. Want to boost your sales as high as the thermometer? Here are six retail marketing tips to keep in mind this summer.
Hang flyers around town
Summertime means more people will be out walking around town. It might seem outdated in this modern digital world, but the old-school flyer is still a strong way to market your retail business in the summer.
As people walk around and enjoy their warm summer day, they’ll catch glimpses of your flyers hanging on bulletin boards, in businesses, and around town. But if you want to catch their eye, your designs have to look amazing! Since you’re busy running a business and don’t have time to design flyers from scratch, use templates.
There are thousands of free templates for retail flyers available online from websites like PosterMyWall. All you need to do is choose the design that best fits your business, customize the information, and you’re ready to print. You can also save the designs to your device for easy social media and website content.
Focus on your storefront
Remember all those people walking around? Well, they’re going to pass your store at some point. Think of your storefront like a giant retail flyer and draw in customers with an engaging storefront design.
Set up plenty of display racks and tables in your front window or even out on the sidewalk. Anyone who passes by won’t be able to resist looking at your wares. Don’t forget to add some decorations!
And if they like what they see outside, there’s a good chance they’ll come in — even if it’s maybe for just a little air conditioning…
Host a summer contest
Everyone is playing outside in the summer. Get in on some of the fun (and boost sales in the process) by hosting a summer contest.
For example, ask your social media followers to post a picture of themselves using one of your products or wearing a branded article of clothing while doing their favorite summer activity. Make sure they tag your business or use a business-specific hashtag. After a set deadline, you’ll choose your favorite, and that person will win a free item.
Online contests are great for boosting engagement online. It’s fun for everyone to come up with ridiculous content to upload, and your business gets tons of visibility in the process.
Throw a party
Summer is a time to celebrate! Draw more people to your business by hosting a special summer event.
Special events are always a fun way to bring new customers into your store, and summer is the perfect excuse to throw a party. Work with a caterer or food truck to bring in delicious snacks, organize activities, play some music, and really bring in the summer on a high note.
Of course, while people are in your store, there’s a good chance they’ll buy something. Plus, you’ll earn some points as “the fun store,” meaning people will want to come back time and time again to shop your wares and remember the good times they had there.
Create limited edition products
Urgency sells. And if your customers know they’ll be able to get a super-special product for only a short amount of time, you can bet they’ll be lining up to get it!
Summer is the perfect time of year for some limited-edition seasonal products. You could add a colorful summer-painted version of one of your best selling products, offer a completely new product designed to beat the summer heat, or simply make some new summer-themed merch like stickers and t-shirts.
Anything limited edition is sure to fly off the shelves, so take advantage of the summer season to really boost those sales.
Start planning early
It takes a lot of time and planning to launch an effective summer marketing campaign. If you wait until the last minute, your efforts will likely fall flat. No matter which summer marketing strategies you choose, the key to success is starting early.
Remember all those slow months between January and April? They’re perfect for planning your summer campaigns! Come up with your ideas, develop an implementation strategy, and add them to your calendar. There’s no such thing as being too prepared when it comes to seasonal marketing.
Planning ahead also gives you time to market your marketing ideas — because even marketing needs marketing! Teasing your amazing deals or events in advance is a great way to start a buzz and boost the effectiveness of your marketing strategies.
Make this summer your most profitable yet
As the weather gets hot, so should your sales! If you manage a retail business and want to get more customers this summer, start by hanging eye-catching flyers around town, focus on your storefront design, host a contest, throw an event, offer limited edition products, and perhaps most importantly, start your planning early!
All it takes is just a few good ideas and a little effort, and you can make this summer the most profitable yet for your retail business.
