With school out, customers leaving town for vacations, and the general lethargy that the season’s heat brings summer can be a challenging time for some retailers. Nevertheless, summer also brings with it a number of unique opportunities to engage clients and enhance your business’s local profile.
While customers may shy away from brick-and-mortar stores during the hot season, they flock to seasonal fairs, farmers’ markets, and outdoor music venues. These events provide an opportunity to gain exposure to new customers. Especially if you operate strictly online, such events can humanize your business, allowing your customers to put a face to the brand. Bear in mind that many customers generally prefer spending their hard-earned money at locally owned businesses if given the chance. What better way to demonstrate that you are a part of the community than to meet face to face? And utilizing the versatile and reliable Poynt POS will allow you to capture impulse buyers who may not have cash on hand.
Even a dearth of seasonal events in your community represents an exciting possibility. Seize the opportunity to draw crowds by creating something alluring and novel. Consider partnering with other local businesses to create a unique occasion. Maybe your bakery is struggling with that summer slump. Try teaming up with a local brewery to offer donut and beer pairings. Or maybe your nursery would be the perfect summer evening music venue for “guitars in the garden”. If you are worried about the logistics, having a Poynt POS makes it easy to set up and accept any payment type, so that your event keeps running smoothly.
Partnering with another business offers an opportunity for customer cross-pollination. Hosting social events also enhances your business’s status as a neighborhood cultural institution.
Pop-ups provide the perfect opportunity to tap into summer nostalgia by offering unique seasonal products. Summer is a time of bounty, delicious fruits and vegetables, vibrant colors, and civic events like the Fourth of July. Look for products that evoke this sentiment. If you are inclined to experiment, now is a good time with the smaller turnout. If the product or service is well received you can easily scale up for the autumn.
Do your best to stay positive. Think of any downtime as an opportunity to hone your skills and refine your operation. Take the time to increase the efficiency of your workflows through implementing new technologies, such as those offered by a Poynt POS. Keeping the ax sharp will make you all the more effective when activity picks up again.