Managing Sales Numbers During The Seasonal Slowdowns
Seasonal slowdowns are a great challenge for every business, which can get handled easily following expert tips. Numerous researches on the topic list some of the most practical and easy to implement strategies for success. These techniques help every business maintain a steady cash flow even during dry seasons through improved marketing.
Data-centric approach
Maintain a data-centric approach that will help you figure out how much loss you incur during the off-season. Enlist the help of a data analyst and check what percentage of sales drops and take counteractive measures to improve it 10% more than the previous year. Ask your customers what they want to purchase during the off-season through a survey and offer discounts on those products.
Groopit helps with data collection and sharing for sales teams through their app and enables real-time data sharing through crowdsolving. Having precise data allows you to measure your efforts and the results, eliminate the non-helpful processes, and concentrate on result-oriented actions.
Smart event marketing
Seasons vary, but people require some product or another throughout the year. After Christmas comes the summer holidays and then Valentine's day, and every month has something from Women's Day to Labor Day. Target the customers concerned with those specific occasions and offer real-time discounts only to them.
For example, advertise women's day in March with attractive lines stating, "buy something for your women," and fill in feminine products in your store. Stack up new, even-oriented products to sell in your store, hold celebrations in your store and offer discount coupons to the attendees. It will kindle them to buy a product to use the discount increasing your sales.
Use Email-marketing
Be it a brick-and-mortar business or an online business, building an email list of regular and potential customers is always helpful. Target the customers through attractive newsletters during the off-season and buy in bulk for a low price. Use emails to share your story with them, your responsible packaging, and how your store is a part of a community.
Don't make the emails sound too promotional, and ensure they tell a story and promote a few essential products to make the customer buy them. Emails still generate considerable sales and cost literally nothing to create and send except for the effort to collect email addresses and design them attractively.
Run social media contests
The off-peak time is a great time to run social media contests among your customers, even if you do not own a website. Having a good web presence still helps you rank better in local Google listings, driving more customers to your store. Partner up with an excellent digital marketing company to make your social media presence well-known during the off-peak season.
Your store might be famous in one area of the city and unfamiliar to people living in other parts of the city. Making a YouTube video, running a Facebook contest, or constantly uploading on IG will help you reach new local customers and increase your international reach.
Sell in different provinces
Get to know about different provinces in the city or nearby cities that might need your products during the off-season. An electrical lights seller who often sees excellent profits during Christmas might switch to sell the same in areas where the Chinese people live for February 1st, the Chinese New Year.
Find new areas to sell your products and new target customers to reach your sales target. Use drop-shipping services and online marketing to get new customers and constantly expand the customer base throughout the year. Remember, even one sale counts as you create a relationship with the customer who will come back for more.