If you run a shop that caters to gift buyers, the holidays can be a time of true madness. With the shopping season starting earlier and earlier each year, doing what you can now to prepare for the gift shopping season is essential. If you’re looking to get the upper-hand early, here are a few tips.
If you’ve been considering building an online store to supplement your brick-and-mortar operation, getting it in place in time for the gift buying surge (Cyber Monday is November 27th) is a great goal. Don’t think you can get it ready in time? You’d be surprised. Moolah makes it easy to take advantage of any of a number of software solutions, like BigCommerce and Shopify, which make it easy for anyone to put together a functional online store in no time. And with a Moolah merchant account, you can be confident you’re getting a great rate when you accept credit cards for your small business online.
Long ago, it used to be that if you noticed a slowdown in sales, you channeled your inner-artist and changed your window display in hopes of increasing sales. It’s true that retail is part art, part science, but in the digital age, the science seems to be taking over. Sales data is increasingly important, especially if you operate multiple locations or sales channels online. Luckily, tech solutions are making this knowledge more accessible than ever. More than that, if your store offers a range of products, you’ve got to know which style, color, bundle, etc. is working, and which ones aren’t. Being on top of this information is the only way that you’ll be able to make decisions about what works and what doesn’t. Luckily, Moolah’s free Poynt Smart Terminal, with its interactive tracking and reporting capabilities, makes it easy to crunch the numbers as you go.
For your online sales channels, you really can’t forget about reviews. It’s been found that positive reviews in online shopping dramatically increase conversion rates. We as humans are wired to trust general opinion. If your competitor’s product has positive reviews, while yours has no reviews, you’re at a disadvantage. For your physical locations, too, online reviews matter. If you want to build trust for this upcoming holiday season, start now by working to get more reviews in place.
When all is said and done, holiday shopping can be chaotic, demoralizing, and downright scary. If your store is different, you’re going to win out over the competition. Be human. Be memorable. Whether online or in-store, it comes down to offering your customer an experience they wouldn’t mind repeating. The shopping season is not that far away so get up and get to Moolah to get started. And if you aren’t already, start accepting credit cards for your small business.