Summer Promotions (The Retail Edit)
The summer months often splits the retail industry into two categories – it’s high footfall and boom time for some while more like a ‘tumbleweed’ moment for others.
Lots depends on the location of the business and the weather, with retailers operating in touristy regions obviously faring better on warm summer days than those running businesses in more traditional commercial areas.
But, putting location and climate issues aside, how can you make sure your till is among those that keep ringing all summer long?
There’s many ways we could answer that question – from creating a vibrant window display that gets your store noticed in the sunshine to picking out some new chilled out (or upbeat) summer tunes to create a holiday atmosphere in-store. But, as your point of sale/ smart till provider, perhaps we’re not the best ones to advise on such factors!
However, when it comes to bringing in the customers this summer, there’s two things every retailer should have up their sleeve – promotions and events – and, luckily, these are areas which can be fully supported by a smart POS system!
We’re talking about in-store events such as VIP late night openings, book signings, supplier demos, taster sessions or trade-in days. Then there’s hashtag-lead competitions on social media and sales promotions like cross-buys (multiple products for a fixed price), multi-buys (e.g. 3 for 2), discounts and freebies.
If you’re stuck for ideas, the good news is that the summer months provide a whole host of natural themes and there’s a promotion in all of them! Here are three ideas:
Holiday essentials – The obvious winners here are fashion, toiletries, books and tech. So how about a multi-buy offer on sun cream, a cross-buy package of shorts, hat and sunglasses, a ‘holiday reads’ promo event, or a tech trade-in day offering pre-holiday upgrades?
Sporting heroics – With big sporting events like Wimbledon, the Tour de France and World Athletics Championships, this summer is likely to see a surge in the general public’s desire to pick up a racket, don a pair of trainers or just relax spectator style. For retailers, that’s another angle to boost sales with a promotion. Whether you decide to offer strawberry and cream freebies in-store or run a discount on a range of fitness accessories and gadgets, remember to promote that deal on social media alongside the relevant sporting hashtags.
Festival vibes – From Bestival in Dorset to T in the Park in Perthshire, the festival season is in full swing across the whole of the UK. Another great opportunity for anyone selling fashion items like bags, hair accessories or shoes. Perhaps the festival crowd can be drawn into your store with a multi-buy based on a flip-flop and wellies combo!
So, you have your promotions idea ready, now comes the task of putting it all into place. The best thing is that, if you’re operating a smart till like those provided by the Good Till Company, you can keep your cool while it takes care of much of the logistics.
Our advanced promotion module allows you to quickly add and start using cross-buy, multi-buy, discount or freebie features. Once set up, discounts get applied automatically at the till, minimising the risk of human error and freeing up the team to focus on customer service.
Built in stock management features help you to keep on top of the required volume of promotional items during the promotion period. And, real-time reporting features mean that, as a business owner, you can analyse the effect of your promotions as they take place and adapt your offer according to the data.
Call us now for a chat about how the Good Till can help your business enjoy a happy and profitable summer season this year and next!