3 Smart Steps For Retailers To Prepare For Summer

The summer season officially gets underway on Sunday, June 20th. That still gives you several weeks to prepare your store for the season that most Canadians consider their favourite. Don’t assume you have any time to delay! To prepare your retail store for summer, it’s vital you get cracking on some important steps. Remember that with COVID-19 still an issue, many of these steps will be necessary in the world of e-commerce.

Here are three smart steps for retailers to prepare for summer:

1. Plan sales events around significant days.

The summer season has many wonderful special occasions. Among them are Canada Day, Civic Holiday and Labour Day. Each of these summer holidays are celebrated over long weekends and often have festive events associated with them. Launch special sales events that celebrate each of these summer occasions. Be sure to highlight these events on your social media accounts and email newsletters.

“Choose the events that are most relevant to your audience and store and use this time to make a plan for how you’ll best leverage it,” encourages Jessica Thiefels on MultiChannelMerchant.com, “Consider both what the event will be, including which products will be on sale and for how much, along with a marketing plan. Where will you promote it? When will you start? Will you do a local direct mail campaign or just social media? Answer these questions now to make the most out of this time when it comes.”

2. Give your website a summer theme.

There’s no denying that the warmth and sunshine of summer bring about feelings of joy and excitement. Make sure your website is invoking those feelings. By updating the look of your company website and online store to reflect the beauty and brightness of summer, you will send your visitors an immediate message: shop HERE for all of your summer needs!

“Ask your internal or e-commerce development partner to decorate your e-commerce store with a summer theme to catch attention of potential and existing customers,” advises Aitoc.com, “You may place hot summer products on your homepage to hook visitors from the very first second on your website.”

3. Try to lock down some customer testimonials.

There is nothing – we repeat – NOTHING better than word of mouth promotion. Consumers trust the words of other consumers far more than they do any form of traditional advertising. If you can get your happiest of customers to share a few kind words about their experiences with your brand, in an online forum, it will work wonders in getting visitors of your site to click “buy now”.

“Send an email to all past customers asking for a review of their experience,” suggests Thiefels, “Segment your audience, and choose a different listing site for each, so you can get fresh reviews in all the places your potential customers are looking without asking too much of past shoppers.”

Do you need some help getting your summer marketing campaign off the ground?

Contact Synergy Merchants for assistance. Our unique merchant cash advance program can fund your business within 24 hours! To learn more, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-718-2026 or email us at info@synergymerchants.com. You can also apply online for a free, no obligation quote!