An attractive range and knowing what the competition is doing in terms of offers and advertising determines the level of sales in both traditional retail and online business. An interesting business idea and the creative search for customers, including via social media channels, are crucial to the success of a company.
Differences between retail and e-commerce
One of the major advantages of retail stores over the numerous online shops is the ability to set prices. The margins for products purchased online are usually lower because it is easier to compare prices.
Retailers still have another advantage in that customers equate a slightly higher price with better quality and are happy to pay a little more for excellent customer service.
In retail, the customer not only bonds with a brand, but also with the employees in the company. They not only know about the quality and best possible uses of their products, but can also increase sales and satisfy the customer by intensively addressing additional products, so-called cross-selling, in the sales conversation.
One example is a coffee machine, with matching cups, coffee with the perfect grind and other products related to the topic.
An online shop can also have features that draw customers' attention to other items, but it can't put the cup in the customer's hand or let them breathe in the aroma of freshly ground coffee.
Increasing sales in retail
You can increase your retail sales by providing targeted advice and sharing specialized knowledge about your products. Creative presentation ideas help ensure that customers leave your store with more items than they had originally planned to buy.
Classic measures
Special displays for particular or new products catch the eye and spark curiosity.
Discounts, loyalty prices and tips and ideas on how the desired product can be shown off to its best advantage once it has been purchased are still popular in retail. There are not yet many software solutions with automation for this added knowledge that can be given to the target group.
Retailers are also still an industry that place advertisements in newspapers and magazines. This is certainly an idea for promoting your brand and your store in the region. This is how you can stand out from competitors who only do their marketing and stage their sales promotions on social media or via WhatsApp.
Online marketing for retailers
Staying in touch with customers and building a stable relationship is important for retailers, and targeted marketing on Facebook, Instagram or other channels of this kind helps to introduce new items and pique customers' curiosity.
Collecting customers' email addresses, phone numbers and, if necessary, addresses for later advertising works, for example, for membership cards or information about events in your own store.
The direct experience of the products before buying is coming back into fashion. Food can be offered for tasting and clothing or other goods made of fabrics can be felt or tried on. Use these opportunities for your company and present these advantages of retail in a striking way in your online advertising.
The goal of online marketing in retail is to encourage customers to visit the store. Once there, various measures can be used to increase per capita sales. For each product, targeted advice can be used to fill the shopping cart with additional products related to the original purchase.
With a WhatsApp marketing agency, you can, for example, create WhatsApp newsletter to increase your revenue.
6 solutions to increase sales in retail
Achieving an increase in sales in retail is a strategy that has been in demand, especially since the Corona crisis. Over a good two years, the table of contents of the major online retail giant has been able to establish itself in the minds and habits of many former customers of retail companies.
Retaining these customers for your own store not only ensures the corresponding sales, but also secures jobs. We have described here in six points, with details and examples, which measures you should look at to achieve this goal.
1. Assortment design and sales area
Retailers today distinguish themselves as niche providers or stand out because of particularly high-quality products in their assortment. For your business, think carefully about which products are not available from your competitors or online and specialize in them.
Design your sales area to match your range and be inspired by your suppliers' ideas for presenting the products to your customers. Consider which displays match the respective item or an entire product group.
Your showroom is your advertisement for walk-in customers, and an appealing design of the windows and facade can encourage curious people to enter and turn them into customers. In the course of local events, you can present yourself and your products to a clientele that would otherwise hardly shop in retail stores.
Make sure that your customers can not only see your goods, but also touch them. In the case of delicacies, they can also taste them. This is an opportunity that only you as a retailer can offer your customers.
2. Don't forget cross-selling
Complete your range of goods with additional offers specifically for your brand or niche.
Cross-selling doesn't necessarily mean adding a product to your assortment just because it goes with one of your other goods. You can also cross-sell services.
Do you specialize in clothing for special occasions? Then, in addition to matching shoes, handbags or scarves, you can also offer a sewing service so that the fashionable and high-quality items can accentuate your customers' bodies particularly well.
Complementary goods and services require a little more creativity and can be geared to the demands of your customers over the course of your life as a retailer. This makes it possible to increase sales in many areas.
3. Employee training
Trained employees who know their products and services down to the smallest detail are still one of the advantages in retail and entice customers into a store, especially for more expensive brands.
Your team can increase sales by offering customers the opportunity to touch and try out the things they are willing to buy, and by educating them about additional benefits. Your customers will appreciate the tips from your on-site staff, and it will help build your reputation in your industry.
Many suppliers support staff training. Take advantage of this offer and keep bringing the specialists in your field into your store. Having developers, designers or producers in your store offers a unique way of promoting your business in retail.
Turn it into a small event and pass on the tips from these sales promotions to your customers.
4. Sales promotions and upselling opportunities
Many people in retail today think of sales promotions as discount promotions, such as end-of-season sales. However, this is too short-sighted, even if it can increase sales. Profit falls by the wayside.
Discounts in particular should be related to the next purchase, rather than being deducted directly from the goods of the initial purchase. Even better, however, would be a “treat” with the purchase. A pack of coffee with the new and high-quality coffee machine. Discuss this with your suppliers and the major coffee brands. It may well be that this additional product is provided to you free of charge for distribution and for the enjoyment of your customers.
You can also increase sales through upselling if you have several products of the same type and function in your range. The customer may enter your store for a classic coffee filter machine and then go home with a coffee machine.
For upselling to increase sales, we recommend the personal experience. Goods that can be tried out help to convince customers of the more expensive offers with higher margins. After all, retail is not just about sales, but also about a predictable profit.
5. Customer communication outside business hours
Take up the ideas of service hotlines again and stay responsive to your customers even outside of business hours. We at Chatarmin can advise you on the necessary software.
Even if you don't have a shop integrated into your website, you can offer a chat or a ticketing system for support. Automated answers from chatbots quickly guide your customers to the answer and support the bond between you and your buyers.
WhatsApp can be used for this as well as for your marketing if you have collected enough of your customers' phone numbers.
6. Prices and payment methods
An important part of increasing retail sales is correct price calculation. Stand out from your competitors through quality and performance, not through tightly calculated prices with additional discounts. Short-term sales do not help your bottom line.
Convenient payment options, in particular, can increase retail sales. In addition to the long-established card payment, you should consider today how mobile your device is for payment and which attractive solutions are additionally possible for your customer loyalty today.
Also consider to what extent it is possible for you to offer your customers partial payments.
Social media for business owners
Retail customers naturally have social media accounts, just as customers of online shops do.
It seems tempting to promote a website for a retail company on various social media platforms. However, a small business can hardly manage many of these channels profitably.
It is important for retailers to find out on which channels the customer or customer group for the products can be found. Online advertising in social media can vary from channel to channel and targeted ads to acquire new customers also cost a share of the profit there.
It may help to take a look at the competition or similar retail businesses in other regions to get initial pointers on the right approach and to adapt marketing.
Goals must be clearly defined. Simply posting pictures of products and hoping for interested customers by chance is not a solution considering the possibilities and competition.
In addition to social media, the business profile in Google should not be forgotten and, of course, brick-and-mortar retailers can also provide their website with a shop solution.
Customer loyalty for the retail store
Customers are looking for a special shopping experience in retail stores. Take advantage of this knowledge and bind your customers to you through the special atmosphere you create.
Loyalty programs are a proven solution for retaining your target group over the long term. Whether you offer points, discounts, or special offers for regular customers is entirely up to you.
For example, you could invite your most loyal customers to a pre-sale before the sale begins in all stores in your city.
Innovative ideas with new technologies
Do you use your website and social media pages to collect prospective and existing customers?
Then it is a logical step to also use the latest advertising options to reach this tech-savvy customer group and to maintain contact with them. Let us at Chatarmin advise you on this, because WhatsApp reaches this target group with messages at almost 100%.
Stand out in your advertising
Think about your future advertising measures before you even open your store. Discuss with your suppliers about their support and get creative ideas to achieve your goals by analyzing your competitors.
Include your suppliers in your advertising measures
Advertising costs money and can reduce your sales. Draw on the expertise of your suppliers.
Get yourself included in the directory of their stationary retailers. Get yourself, your salesroom and your website in touch with your suppliers' reach by setting up collaborations and joint activities in social media.
Find out about images, videos and descriptions, as well as events, that you can use for yourself and your customer groups. The partial joint appearance strengthens the brand and possibly allows you to attract random visitors to your city to boost sales.
Customer loyalty through high-quality invitations
Even though digital solutions are a quick way to connect and stay connected with your target audience, you should consider using classic offline advertising to enhance your presentation. It is important to note that brochures or invitations reflect the value of your goods and their quality.
Consider emphasizing the presentation of a special or new product at your next event with high-quality printed invitations. Review your customer list and collect addresses for this or hand out your invitations directly in your shop after purchases have been made.
Regular events in your sales area round off the shopping experience with you. They are your big chance to stand out from the crowd of online and offline providers.
The importance of an online shopping option in retail
There is no reason not to offer your customers the option of online shopping. Integrating smaller shop solutions into your website is a great way to turn occasional customers who live further away into regulars. Refer to your brick-and-mortar store on your website and use the shop as an additional advertising channel.
