Yes, retailers are always looking for new marketing strategies to drive in traffic and make more sales. However, there are some methods that have been used by retailers for years to bring in more customers and one of them is sales promotion. For it to be a successful marketing tool, retailers have done more than just reducing prices and notifying the customers about it by having a big sign on the window of the store entrance.

So much work has been put into the promotion before it was executed. But wait a minute; right now we are not looking about all that but about the most popular promotional methods used worldwide.

1. Discounted Products

Everybody loves a good bargain and offering a discount now and then will definitely be great for your store. Although there are many ways to give out discounts, the most effective one is the percentage discount where you can offer 5%, 15%, or even 20% off deal. This method actually increases sales while still saving the customers some money.

Note that, before you decide to choose how much discount to give ensure it is an attractive deal. On the other hand, if you unsure when to hold the sales, you can start by offering the discount on holiday seasons as well as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

2. Buy One, Get One Free Deal (BOGO)

Buy one get one free deal is also another popular promotional method that retailers use to clear out stock while still making a profit. By giving away a specific product in a sale, retailers are able to move some older stock that has not been moving at a fast pace. For example, if you have a product selling at $10 but you bought it at $3. If you offer the item in a buy one get one sale, you would make you would still make a profit. The great news is that by selling multiple items at once you get to have a great deal of money to invest in other in-demand products.

3. Flash Sale

Mostly used by online stores, a flash sale is basically a new promotional method used by retailers that only lasts for a limited time. Offering substantial discounts, the retailer’s main purpose is to get online shoppers to impulse buy by making the products offer irresistible. This in return makes them sell some great products that haven’t sold as quickly as they have hoped which increases short term sales.

With the stores usually sending this promotion via their website or customers emails you will easily get an offer like 30% off everything + free shipping. 5 hours left! Note that apart from receiving this offer any time of the day, other flash sales days are usually on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

4. Free Gifts

We all love free gifts, that why there is no better way for retailers to reach more customers than offering free gifts for products purchased or spending a certain amount. By giving something out, the customers not only feel appreciated but it gives you the chance to bring in more customers to your store. So, if you have a new product, you can promote it by giving a free gift. Just make sure the gift is relatable to the product you are selling. For example, you can offer a pair of socks for every shoe purchased.

5. Competitions

Competition is another traditional promotional method that only gives away one thing. Being popular for years, retailers offer the customers a chance to win by encouraging them to purchase the product multiple times for a chance to win the prize. This method is not only used to bring in more sales but it also a great way to gain email sigh ups for new shoppers who enter the competition.

6. Free Samples

According to a recent report by Alliance Data, 75% of shoppers are influenced to buy something by getting a free product? So, do you have a new product that you are trying to sell but aren’t receiving any sales? Then give out samples! This works best with food as well as beauty products and cosmetics. People love trying something new stuff before buying and if you give them a chance to try out then the new product will start selling. Remember, this gesture encourages the customers to buy products they may have not considered before.

7. Loyalty Points

Customers love to be rewarded and loyal points are one way of building a loyal fan base as well as entice more potential customers. By providing your customers with a physical card they will able to gain points every time they shop in your store. By knowing that they can redeem the points in the future, this strategy encourages them to only buy stuff from you.

8. Coupon Giveaway

Nothing makes customers feel more appreciated than receiving coupons from their favorite stores. Somehow an exclusive promotion, customers are given a push to visit your online store thus giving them a chance to even look on new products they can buy. Note that, apart from sending the coupons to loyal customers you can also send some to visitors that have joined email sign to encourage them to shop at your store. This gesture is meant to turn these visitors to become your customers.

9. Free Shipping

Great for e-commerce stores, free shipping is a good promotional way to drive in more conversions. This gesture shows the customer a sense of security and trust in your products. Keep in mind, if you are worried you won’t make any profit then add a small percentage into the actual cost of the product or just make the free shipment accessible to those customers who are willing to spend a specific amount of money.

10. Holiday Promotions

Customers love spending money on holidays, therefore, making this the perfect opportunity to bring in more sales. Just make sure you attract customers with great deals and discounts that they find themselves spending more. There is no better time than the holiday season to get creative with themes to increase sales.

The main goal of retail businesses is to get as many sales as possible and increase the number of customers as the business grows. However, this is not an easy task but with some creativity, you can increase the sales in no time. So, with no further ado, let us look at the 8 simple ways you can boost the sales and optimize your store to its full potential.

1. Advertise More

An advertisement has always been one of the marketing tools used by retail owners. However, you find retailers cutting down on marketing especially during slower sales periods. That is a mistake, due to competition and fewer customers this should be the best time to advertise more. Even if you are short on money and aren’t able to invest in the big advertisements such as billboards and TV, you can consider newspaper ads as well as weekly magazines. Online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagrams are also a great way to reach out to customers.

2. Create Your Own Holiday

Everyone loves holidays but most retailers only use National holidays or the Christmas season to give their customers some discounts. However, to bring in more sales, why don’t you create your own holiday? Consider the fun things that your store sells as well as your target and make a holiday around it.

3. Have Strong In-Store Visuals

It’s obvious that people love to buy appealing products. That is why it is important to have a strong in-store visual. But how do you achieve this? There are some general guidelines you can follow:

• Make your displays multidimensional: You can concentrate on color, height, depth whenever possible to ensure the display looks more appealing to the eyes.
• Make the products useful or interactive: To keep the customer’s eyes on your products, make sure the products are in use or allow the shoppers to try them out.
• Keep the store neat and tidy: An organized space does not just look neat but it also enables the shoppers to know what they need faster, therefore, making the buying experience more pleasant.
• Display your best products on the front and center: It is wise you display your best products at the store entrance and center regardless of the price.

4. Update Your Visual Elements Regularly

Having an amazing visual store is not enough, to continue driving traffic and sales up you need to keep your visual fresh. This simply means updating the store regularly to keep with the latest trends and seasons. In other words, mark special occasions and shopping dates on your calendar and plan ahead of time on what to do.

For example, what will tour store look like at Independence Day, Mother’s Day, or even the holiday season?  Plan out what will be on the window display that will compel the shoppers to get into the store. Lastly, don’t forget to put up big signs on the entrance of the store, or post on your website as well as other platforms reminding the customers of your special offers on those occasions.

5. Get Rid of the Wait Line

We all dread long waits, that’s why it is important to minimize the checkout time to avoid losing customers. Did you know that Americans are known to leave the checkout line after eight minutes? What about British? Well, they get tired and leave the store within six minutes of minutes. That is disturbing right, especially when you calculate how much you lose.

So, in order to prevent the shoppers from leaving, you need to get rid of the waiting line by first of all keeping your store well-staffed particularly in busy seasons. Secondly, have enough registers to handle the rush. If you don’t have any registers, you can also use an iPad. The iPad POS system will enable you to speed up the checkout process thus increasing your sales.

6. Organize Your Own Event

 There will always be off-peak periods once in a year. However, this is the right time to partner with a local charity and organize an event. You can choose one weekend and offer the store as a drop off point for certain products. Give out a discount for any product bought from your store or for anyone who drops the required products at your store. For example, the shoppers can get a 25% discount for any product bought or dropped off at the store. This move will not only increase your sales but you get to do a good deed at the same time.

7. Take Advantage of Social Media

There is nothing efficient than using social media to reach more customers. Nevertheless, this can only happen if you take advantage of these platforms by being extremely active. Shoppers are always interested in knowing the latest products and the only way to reach out to them is to have a steady stream of activity online. Therefore, always use social media platforms to not only stay ahead of the competition but also to make regular sales.

8. Make Sure the Products are On-Point

A winning product will help you win more sales every time. So, to accomplish this, stay on top of your inventory to make sure you are stocking the right products at the right time. That means you need to keep a close eye on your inventory data which is possible by using the latest tracking software available in the market. With this software, you will have a clear idea of what is selling and specifically the products making more money. This will definitely enable you to know which products to stock when running promotions or during the holiday seasons.

Conclusion

All right, we are done with the 8 simple ways to increase retail sales. That said our hope is that you will use the pointers to help out your store to make more sales on peak or off-peak seasons. Use the simple ways and you are bound to see positive results in sales and the overall store.