Help Your Customers Save This Summer

Earlier this month, we blogged about the fact that summer is “the season of spending”. With the beautiful warm weather drawing Canadians out of their homes, it’s inevitable that people will be spending more. From food to entertainment and other family activities, there are so many things that one can spend money on.

As business owners, this all comes as great news. And it’s important to make the most of the summer while it’s here. But it’s also important to remember that we are consumers as well. And just like with our businesses, we want to make sure that we are doing our own spending within a budget and not going overboard.

There are a few things that we can do to ensure that we don’t overspend this summer. On Moneyville.ca, Jennifer Stewart shares a few of those ways. Consider encouraging your own customers to take advantage of these tips in your own establishments. After all, these tips will allow you to also find ways to keep business growing throughout the summer.

For example, Stewart encourages shoppers to take advantage of internet coupons. We’ve often heralded the concept of utilizing your company website to draw customers in. Is there a special discount that you can offer your customers online before they walk into your store? You may want to do some web surfing yourself before making your next purchase.

Look for “meal deals”, says Stewart. In Toronto each summer, there is a “Summerlicious” promotion involving a number of restaurants all across the city. If participating in this event, restaurants offer great deals that you may wish to take advantage of. Is your restaurant involved?

Redeeming reward points is another way to save cash this summer, Stewart reminds us. Do you have an incentive program at your business? You may want to consider offering some kind of reward system to your customers so that they are encouraged to keep on coming back.

Pay-what-you-can admission is another great feature of the summer. As Stewart points out, many museums and other summer events offer this type of entrance fee including “The Bata Shoe Museum on Thursday evenings in Toronto and The 2011 Canadian Stage Dream in High Park.” Don’t forget those free events too!