J.D. Associates Retail POS Solutions Blog

Holiday Tips for Retailers - #3 Attract Your Customers

  

 Email Article  

Tweet  

  

  

In recent years you've had to up the ante each Holiday Season due to two kinds of competition - online shopping and competing stores in your niche. Every year more and more shopping is done on the Internet, and it's getting harder to attract new customers to your store while maintaining your current customer base. You can do a number of things to reverse that trend, and here are a few relatively inexpensive ideas.

Get the Word Out Via the Internet

Blogging: When was the last time you wrote and published a good blog post? Blogs are one of the best ways to attract new customers via the Internet. Write about what you know, and provide your readers with valuable advice, tips or insider information. People are always looking for the inside scoop and ways to improve their business, health or happiness. If you don't have a blog, they are easy to set up and inexpensive to operate. Try WordPress.org - it's cheap, easy and very popular.

Social Media: One of the best ways to attract new customers is by participating in Facebook and Twitter. Set up a Facebook page for your store and a Twitter account for starters. Don't just promote your store - share valuable tips and ideas, great blogs you've read or videos you've watched. Mix in information about your store - what's hot and what's not. If you have special in-store promotions, mix those in too, but not too often. You want to be seen as a resource, not a spammer. Here are some great tips for using Facebook to attract customers.

Offer Special Discounts to Mobile Shoppers

Geosocial Media: One of the hot new trends in marketing is using location based services, also known as geosocial media. You've probably heard of Foursquare, Groupon or Gowalla. These online services allow you to market directly to customers who are near your store and have their smartphones "tuned in" for great offers. It's a lot like a radar for finding deals near you. Merchants like you can simply sign up for these services and purchase "ads" for special discounts in their stores. You can set them up for specific days and times to create a sense of urgency. To read more about these services, check out this blog post.

Find Out What Customers Want

A good retail point of sale system can help you discover shopper preferences and trends in your own store. If you don't have one, we can help you find the best option for your business. If your current system isn't getting the job done, we can help you with that too!

For more great tips download your copy of our "8 Ways Retailers Can Have a Happier Holiday Season" guide.

Photo credit: Matt McGee