Guest Post: 10 Ways Retailers Can Inspire Customers During Peak Season
The peak season is something that retailers anticipate every year. Depending on where you live and what you sell, the peak season might run anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. If a retailer wants to stay in business, attracting more customers during this period is essential. As a result, they naturally desire to bring in new customers during the busy season.
As the peak season approaches, retailers start gearing up to reap the benefits by getting more customers through their doors or online stores and making sales off of them. Some retailers find it challenging to draw customers at this time, especially if a rival store is providing exclusive deals and discounts that the first retailer is unable to match.
Now, if you work in retail, you are aware that consumers constantly seek out the finest deals. Then, how can you persuade them to visit your website or shop? You can encourage people to spend more money at your store than they otherwise would by providing them with a large selection of goods, exclusive deals, and other incentives.
Want to learn more about how to draw more people into your e-commerce or physical stores at the busiest time of the year? Keep on reading.
In this article, we will discuss the top 10 ways in which retailers can inspire customers during peak season and get more of them as regulars after the peak season ends.
1) Offering Discounts
A great way to get more customers during peak season is by offering discounts. This is because people are always looking for a good deal, especially during the peak season, such as holidays or festivals.
By offering discounts, you entice customers who may not have been planning on purchasing to come into your store and buy something. Plus, once they're in your store they may be tempted to buy other items that are full price.
You can offer discounts in a variety of ways, such as percentage offs, buy one get one free, or free shipping. Make sure to advertise your discounts prominently so that people are aware of them. You can also offer special deals to loyalty program members or VIPs.
2) Presenting Products
You need to ensure that your products are in good condition and well-displayed. This will show customers that you care about your products and that they're worth their money. Secondly, offer a variety of products. This way, customers can find what they're looking for, whether it's the latest fashion trend or a classic item.
You should have a knowledgeable staff on hand to answer any questions customers may have to make the presentation stand out. This will show that you're invested in helping them find the right product. Moreover, since e-commerce is ruling today, your customer service team should be prepared to satisfactorily handle queries from customers in real-time.
You can offer discounts and sales to lay extra focus on your products. To make the best of your excellent product presentation, run promotions and competitions to win customers over. This will show that you're willing to go the extra mile to get their business.
Following is a checklist to ensure great product presentation in your retail store:
Give your products a great presentation. This means attractively displaying them and making sure they are easy to find. In the case of e-commerce stores, the navigation and visual design should be simple and attractive.
Use seasonal colors and decorations to make your website or store more inviting.
Create festive displays on your e-commerce stores and decorate your physical stores accordingly.
Have special sales and promotions.
Offer extended hours and holiday delivery options.
Make sure your customer service team is friendly and helpful.
3) Better Customer Service
Excellent customer service is one of the most important ways to inspire customers at any time of the year. But it becomes even more important when everybody is out shopping during the peak season and expects impeccable service.
Peak season is the time of year when people are looking for the best deals and the best value. If you can club these two with outstanding service, they're more likely to remember you and come back to your website or store. Using communication apps will make the process smoother to run.
It’s essential to have a well-trained, friendly customer service team, as mentioned above. It should be ready and willing to help customers with their queries and problems. Plus, your team should be able to handle any complaints or problems that come up. If you can provide great customer service, you’ll be one step ahead of the competition.
There are a couple of key things you can do to make sure your customer service is top-notch this peak season:
Hire extra staff if necessary so that you have enough people to handle the increased volume of customer queries that flood your systems.
Train your customer service executives well so that they know how to handle various customer service scenarios that might come up.
4) Market Yourself Properly
To get more customers during peak season, retailers need to market themselves properly. This means creating a marketing strategy that targets the right audience and uses the right channels.
Additionally, retailers should make sure their branding is on point and that their website is optimized for conversion. Furthermore, they should use data to personalize their marketing messages and offer customer loyalty programs to encourage repeat business. Finally, retailers should make sure they are visible on social media and in search engine results.
5) Get involved with your community
One way to inspire customers during peak season is by getting involved with your community. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as sponsoring a local sports team, holding a food drive, or participating in a charity event. By getting involved with your community, you show that you care about more than just making a profit. You also build goodwill, which can lead to repeat business and referrals.
Here are some ways to get more involved with your community:
Sponsor a local League team.
Donate to a food bank or homeless shelter.
Participate in a neighborhood cleanup day.
Host a blood drive.
Offer discounts to first responders and military personnel.
Have a special event for seniors or families with young children.
Give back-to-school supplies to local students in need.
6) Optimize Your Website
Your website is often the first interaction potential customers have with your business, so you want to make sure it’s optimized for peak season. This means making sure it’s fast, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly. You should also highlight any promotions or sales you’re running on your website and in any email marketing campaigns.
Make sure you're visible by investing in SEO. Search engine optimization (SEO) is important all year round, but during peak season it's especially crucial. Make sure your site is using relevant keywords so customers can easily find you when they're searching for what you offer. You can also use paid advertising to get in front of more potential customers.
7) More Personalized Social Media Ads
It's arguably now necessary to put some money behind paid social marketing since social advertising has evolved beyond being a strategy for gaining an advantage. Likewise with Google advertising.
However, it's possible that your current viewers have already converted as a result of your most recent campaign or that they are growing weary of hearing the same message, making your efforts useless.
You can discover user groups that share qualities with other ad groups you've already built by using "Facebook Lookalike Audiences.
Your website visitors, viewers of your videos, email subscribers, and Facebook followers are just a few possibilities to develop these new audience segments. If you're looking for more motivation and ideas, you may browse Meta's collection of case studies.
8) Provide Unique Gift-Wrapping Services
If the peak season is a holiday season, then it's all about giving gifts. One of the primary reasons customers prefer shopping online over visiting physical stores is convenience. Unwrapping presents, though, is a pleasant aspect of receiving them, and many physical establishments provide this service over the holiday season.
By providing a gift-wrapping service to your consumers to make their online buying simpler and more convenient, you may avoid losing any potential customers to brick-and-mortar retailers. Such value-added services encourage customers to spend more money on your business by luring them back.
9) Use Lucid and Captivating Holiday Imagery
Since humans are highly visual beings, you should seize this chance to produce visuals that will spark customers' interests and keep them exploring your eCommerce site.
Even better, you can spruce up your collection by adorning some of your photographs with seasonal decorations to give them a festive feel. Create a greeting message just for the holiday season and add it to your landing page.
10) Deliver for Free
The peak season is the ideal time to implement free delivery if you haven't been doing so all year to draw in more customers and boost sales. The vast majority of prospective buyers wouldn't think twice to spend a considerable amount on the product itself, but they typically object when a delivery fee is tacked on. Avoid this by forgoing the shipping cost during the peak season, and your grateful consumers will undoubtedly come back for further purchases.
Conclusion
We hope that now you have the necessary strategies and tips in your arsenal to inspire customers during peak season and boost your sales.
About the author
Piyush Shah is a 6 figure affiliate marketer and has helped grow multiple businesses from nothing to making insane business figures. He is currently working as Head of SEO at Dukaan.
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