Editor’s Note: Here at Dispatches, we are always looking for ways to help our readers do things. For some of our readers, that means helping navigate the working world, for others, it means assisting in the ever challenging question,“what’s for dinner?” For still others, it means figuring out how to balance family life with everything else. In an effort to aid in all of these endeavors, we have collaborated on this article written specifically for our readers.
These unconventional tips might help improve your retail (online or brick and mortar) business.
- Decrease turnover to improve familiarity
If you;ve graduated from solopreneurship and have an employee or two, try to reduce turnover as much as possible. Recruitment is an expensive process. Training up a new employee takes time. Your customers have trust and familiarity with you and over time will gain the same level of familiarity with your employees. One of the best things you can do to improve your business is to strengthen the feeling of customer loyalty. If there are new employees every week, customers will have a hard building trust and loyalty to your business. - Use pop-up stores for flash sales in new locations
Pop-up stores seem to have gone through something of a rise in popularity over the past couple of years. They can take the form of a regular brick-and-mortar store, with a business leasing the space for a short amount of time (think a single day or two) or the pop up can be online only. Pop-up stores typically focus on just a few products and the goal is not just sales but brand awareness. If the thought of renting an entire storefront for just a day or two is too daunting, consider a kiosk or a stand. This tends to be cheaper, and can be put up and dismantled as needed. If you’re an online business, don’t be afraid to set up a physical space even for a short amount of time. This can be useful for introducing locals to your business. - Redesign the entire store
If you’re not getting is much business as you’d like, it might not just be a problem with your product. It might be that the store or virtual storefront that aren’t appealing. Never underestimate the importance of beautiful store design. It really helps make customers want to purchase your products and can help make your store more memorable than others. If you have a physical space, consider working with a retail design agency. They can help you get every detail just right from the outside in.
- Get funny and friendly on Twitter
You know you should use Twitter to help build a brand image and connect with customers. Social media is a great tool for cultivating customer loyalty. But it’s not just about cold, hard numbers and focusing solely on followers or likes isn’t going to help you create a culture of repeat customers. If your ideal customer is a younger, trend-conscious teenager, one of the most effective tools at your disposal can be to create a fun, clever, funny social media personality to interact with your target audience.
- Charge more money
While this sounds counterproductive, you might actually sell more products if the price is higher. A common problem is if you sell your products at too low of a price, people may make assumptions about the quality. For example, a lot of places in London will sell a coffee for £1 or in America for $1, but these cups aren’t Starbuck’s quality. But if you raise the price slightly and make small improvements to the product, you will likely sell more coffee than you previously sold.