As a retailer the best time to construct productive ideas for the success of your business is when you are calm and collected.
The festive season can boost your sales to their millions with decisive planning, therefore you should always be alert to spot new opportunities and take appropriate measures to grow your business. Today we discuss 7 ways to prepare for the festive season in a retail business.
The most appropriate time to employ extra staff is before the start of the festive season, as it's obvious you will require additional help, due to the high number of new clients. This will give you ample time to learn their capabilities and skills thus you are able to decide if they adapt perfectly with the external and internal environment of your business. In order to save on costs you can employ extra staff based on contract basis so that they can assist during the festive season then if business goes down you can choose not to renew their contracts.
The staff in your business are the faces of your brand and investing in them will gain you more brand visibility as they will act as key brand ambassadors. Training them is vital for them to clearly have a vivid idea of what your business entails. There is nothing as irritating as asking a question to a staff who has no clue of a product in your store, this will lead to loss of sales since the customer will rash to your competitor. Staff should be well trained in-store running policies like how to sell your products and engage with customers.
Your type of business is what determines your working hours.Choosing carefully your working hours to relatively meet your customers needs, is a vital decision to undertake. As a club owner your working hours should be during night hours because this is the peak time for clients and if it is a restaurant you can open during the early morning hours to capture the early bird clients who rush to get to work on time or the customers who work night shift. Knowing this enables you to plan effectively on how to serve them better and also plan your schedule appropriately.
As a retailer you should conveniently program and know what your peak periods for sales are, to empower your staff to serve customers efficiently. A satisfied customer will most likely come back to your store if the shopping experience is shortened and simplified. Another consideration would be to treat your staff with respect, as they will automatically reciprocate the same to customers, involve them in the planning of their weekly schedule, to avoid having absenteeism at peak shopping days, doing this will counter unnecessary complaints from staff and clients permanently.
Your goal should always be to make sales your priority, as this will motivate you to work smarter and focus on how you can partner with like-minded retailers like yourself to grow your business. Refocus by hiring diligent staff who can work overtime to serve your clients, this inevitably attracts loyal customers to your business before the festive season, therefore, leading to you making extra sales. You should have an open avenue of receiving feedback from your customers in order to know how to serve them better.
The majority of clients don't have a clue what to gift their loved ones, as a retailer you should be able to think out of the box and design exclusive ideas that can specifically be customized to your clients' tastes and preferences. Gifting industry is a booming untapped market that can guarantee you return on investment in a short span of time. You can do the marketing of this idea through social media channels to get your message across to everyone interested.
Be specific on the goals your business envisions to achieve in the future, ensure they are clearly defined . Evaluate measurable goals for your business and plan how to meet expectations. Specifically identify what exactly you want to achieve in your business. You should set goals that are attainable not to you but to your sales team as well, you should teach them to develop an attitude and skills to attain them . They should be relevant in terms of what will be their impact on your business and time-oriented meaning when will they be done therefore creating a sense of urgency on due dates of tasks.
