If you’re like a lot of small business owners across the country, you’re eager to get the go-ahead to reopen your doors. The shutdown has cost you a lot of time and sales, and you’ll naturally want to make up the deficits as quickly as possible. Upgrading your brick and mortar locations is a great start, but you likely don’t have the time or money to undergo a full renovation right now. Here are some alternative cost-effective improvements you can make that will help increase sales without breaking the bank.
Product Placement
Rearranging your products and adjusting floor plans are easy, low-cost, and effective ways to guide customer behavior. Start by placing some of your top products near the entrance of your store to entice customers, and put staple items near the back so customers have to walk through the whole store to reach them. You’ll want to expose customers to as many high-value products as possible, so try placing your most profitable items at eye level so they’re clearly visible and easy to reach. Also consider arranging displays and using custom floor decals to create a buying path that makes customers pass by as many products as possible on their way through your store.
Dazzling Displays
You already know all about promoting specific products with discounts and two-for-one sales, but the price isn’t the only driving factor behind buying behaviors. A well-placed, thoughtfully designed display is just as effective at grabbing attention and converting browsers into buyers. Setting up compelling displays isn’t easy, but they can simultaneously increase sales and improve the atmosphere of your store without cutting into your margins.
The first step towards creating a great display is location, location, location. You’ll likely want to put it near the entrance so every customer will see it, but you can also place multiple displays in each section of your store to show off the top products in each category. Next, use tables, shelves, and racks (and a well-placed custom table throw or two) to create multidimensional product arrangements with variations in height, depth, and color that draw the eye without looking too busy or cluttered. Finally, make sure you change the displayed products regularly to greet your customers with something new on a regular basis.
Comfortable and Welcoming
Updating the visual design of your store is another reopening must. Poor lighting, inadequate or unappealing decorations, and even the wrong color paint can make stores feel unwelcoming and reduce the amount of time customers want to spend in your establishment. Completely overhauling your store may be prohibitively expensive, but there are a few low-cost ways to improve the atmosphere.
Your first priority should be to improve the lighting in your store using LEDs. A combination of ambient, accent, and task lights will make your products look their best and help customers relax and feel at ease – and comfortable customers stay longer and spend more money. Best of all, LEDs are cheap, easy to install, and can last for years.
Next, consider repainting your store and adding an accent wall. People react subconsciously to different colors, a psychological quirk you can use to your advantage. Subdued colors won’t cause much of a reaction at all, while colors like red, green, blue, and yellow easily grab customers’ attention and highlight nearby merchandise. Choose colors that blend well with your logo and brand, but avoid colors or patterns that look too busy or clash with your atmosphere.
Prime Promotions
A staple of small businesses everywhere, physical advertisements are a cost-effective way to attract new customers. TV and radio ads can cost thousands, but you can get a whole array of banners, flags, and posters that is remarkably affordable. Big, colorful outdoor banners will draw the eyes of passing drivers, flags will inform pedestrians of ongoing sales, and posters placed around your store will let customers know about seasonal deals and specials. Much like your in-store displays, remember to frequently rotate these physical advertisements so they consistently feel fresh.