How to Boost Retail Sales Year-Round
With seasonal sales, a specific and timely need drives people. But how do you boost retail sales for the rest of the year?
Today’s consumers are more discerning than ever before. Thanks to the advent of the internet, shoppers can conduct searches to find the solution that best meets their needs. Additionally, modern consumers have a higher expectation for a positive, personalized customer experience. Sixty-six percent of shoppers expect brands to understand their needs and expectations. As a result, traditional sales tactics may not be as impactful as they’ve been in the past.
Keep reading for effective ways to boost retail sales year-round to stand out from your competition and drive more traffic to your business.
Key Takeaways
- Boost retail sales by focusing on the specific needs of your target audience.
- Custom content and a positive experience can earn customer loyalty.
- An effective digital marketing strategy that includes online profiles, SEO, and mobile-friendliness can help boost retail sales all year.
5 Ways to Boost Retail Sales Throughout the Year
With countless options for consumers to solve their problems, it can be easy to get lost in the crowd. Boost retail sales throughout the year with these five tactics to attract the attention of and connect with your audience.
1. Know Your Customers
In today’s market, your customer has to be your top priority. To meet their unique needs more effectively and efficiently, it’s essential that you know who they are. Learn the demographics of your clientele. Gain a deeper understanding of their needs, preferences, and pain points. Create customer personas to identify your ideal target audience. Not only can this help you connect with your customer and find the best ways to meet their unique needs, but it can also help you deliver the right message to the right people at the right time.
Knowing your customer can help you create impactful content that answers their questions and solves their problems. You can target them effectively by knowing which platforms and channels they prefer. You build brand awareness, trust, and loyalty by providing them useful content that resonates. They begin to seek you out as a resource and will keep coming back for more.
2. Optimize for Online Search
Today, 44% of all product searches begin online, so it’s critical that you ensure your customers can find your business in online searches. The first way to do this is through search engine optimization (SEO). Create custom content based on your audience’s specific needs. Incorporate commonly-used keywords and phrases so search engines will recognize your website as a helpful resource for their users. This can help you earn high rankings that gain more visibility and drive more traffic to your website.
The following video is an SEO beginner’s guide to help you optimize your site and earn high rankings:
Another way to increase your online visibility is through free services like Google Business Profile. When you create your profile, you include basic information like:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Business hours
When people search online for solutions you provide, your business will appear in their results. Whether they visit your website or use map information that leads them directly to your location, these listings help create brand awareness and ensure you’re reaching the people who need your services.
3. Implement Mobile Ordering
In our current market, consumers conduct 63% of online searches on a mobile device. Take advantage of this by ensuring your website is mobile-friendly. Large photos should be compressed or embedded to reduce page load times. All images should be scalable, so they appear in the same quality across various devices. Format text so important information isn’t cut off, and you avoid awkward paragraph breaks that make information hard to read. Customers should have a quality, positive experience on your site regardless of the device they use to access your information.
You can reap further rewards by offering mobile ordering. This contactless ordering is a service for your customers through which they purchase through your website. You can deliver their item, or they can use curbside pickup. Mobile ordering allows people to make a purchase anytime, anywhere. It also allows them to remain in their vehicles, providing an easier, more convenient shopping experience. This is especially attractive to customers who:
- Are in a hurry and don’t want to wait in long lines
- Have compromised immune systems and want to avoid contact with others
- Are shopping with young children and don’t want to deal with car seats
Mobile ordering can be an effective way to boost retail sales throughout the year.
4. Address Consumer Pain Points
While shopping to meet a need, customers often encounter various frustrations. You can earn their business and boost your sales by addressing these pain points. Uncover customer frustrations by asking your audience for ways you can enhance their customer experience. Encourage feedback with incentives so people will be willing to share their feelings with you. These incredible learning opportunities help you improve the customer journey and attract more sales.
Monitor social media chat threads and forums to see what candid comments people are making about your company, products, and competitors. Track website metrics to see what pages hold user attention and whether people abandon their shopping carts prematurely. All this information can help you streamline your processes, improve your website design, and provide custom content that meets the needs of your audience and entices them to purchase from you.
5. Create a Loyalty Program
There’s nothing more valuable than a loyal customer. They generate more revenue, as 65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers. They also become brand ambassadors. Customers who are truly satisfied will promote your business for you. They’ll share your social media posts and forward your emails to their contacts, expanding your reach and increasing brand awareness. This can help lower the cost of doing business as you won’t need to invest as much into marketing.
A loyalty program can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level. It aligns values and identifies shared causes. Whether you offer discounts, giveaways, or dollars for future purchases, a loyalty program makes customers feel valued and appreciated. It also helps you increase and track customer lifetime value and earn even higher ROI for long-term success.
Boost Your Retail Sales This Year
BOOM Communications delivers advertising and marketing solutions that help you increase sales and drive traffic to your business. Whether you want to increase advertising revenue, grow page count, or grow distribution, BOOM Communications can help your newspaper printing and magazine printing business thrive. Contact BOOM Communications today to learn how we can help you boost retail sales this year.