If you need to temporarily shut down your retail store, or limit your store hours, then
keep watching how to learn how to prioritize your online business.
Subscribe now for tips on how to stay connected with your customers, build customer loyalty
and drive online sales when your in-store business slows down.
Communicate with your customers to keep them connected to your business and build trust
during times of change.
Consider these key details:
If your retail store is closing temporarily and when they can expect the closure
If you’re reducing your store hours and what the new hours are
How you will be handling any current orders waiting to be shipped
Where to find your business if you’re changing from selling in retail locations to online
only What precautions and safety measures your
company is taking And how customers can stay in contact with
you — whether that’s email, phone, or a messaging system
There are a variety of ways to communicate these details to your customers.
Try using:
Popular platforms like Facebook or Instagram Email marketing campaigns
Online store pages that you create specifically to address the changes and frequently asked
questions Chat apps like Apple Business Chat & Shopify
Chat.
When you share these details with your customers, take the opportunity to build customer loyalty
and increase online sales.
Here are some suggestions for ways to do this.
Take care of your online merchants as if they’re in your physical store.
Use personalized messages, offers, and incentives.
Consider creating an online discount like 20% off store wide, or offer free shipping
on all orders.
If you offer a subscription service, consider offering a free or discounted month, or extending
a trial period.
If you’re not sure what type of offers to create, use your Shopify analytics to review
where people are shopping and what products they’re purchasing.
This helps you target your market accurately.
In the AlyAthletics store, the Smart Watch and the Ombre T-Shirt are the most popular
items.
A promotion like buy one Smart Watch, get the Ombre T-Shirt half price would be well
suited for our customers.
If you have loyal customers, then try reaching out to these customers with personalized offers.
In the Shopify admin, use the Customers section and open the Returning tab to identify any
returning customers.
In the AlyAthletics store, we know that Ria buys new t-shirts regularly from our store.
So we’re contacting Ria directly with a buy one t-shirt, get one free offer made specifically
for her.
If you prefer a more automated approach, an app like Endear can help you get to know your
customers, personalize your outreach, and drive sales across different channels during
slow periods.
This app is particularly useful if you have retail locations where you gather data.
When you’re promoting offers, encourage customers to buy gift cards to improve sales
and cash flow.
A gift card is a great option for future in store purchases, online purchases, or sending
as a gift, even if customers can’t shop at your retail store right now.
Some businesses offer a promotion with the gift card too, like for every $50 gift card
purchased, receive a free glass water bottle.
You can create this type of offer with an automatic discount.
This is a great way to sell slow moving stock and increase gift card sales.
Another tactic to reward and encourage repeat customers is to use loyalty apps and programs.
For example, the app Smile offers a point based system for customers.
Like, if you spend $10 you earn 5 points.
After you earn 100 points, you get $10 off your next purchase.
If you already have a loyalty app running, try giving customers bonus points to encourage
an online purchase to redeem rewards.
After you decide what incentives to give your customers, use marketing automation to promote
the incentives.
For example, you can set up the Facebook marketing app and create a Facebook Audience building
ad.
Or, use Kit to create ads on your Facebook business page and promote offers on Instagram.
If you haven’t already built up your store’s search engine optimization, then watch our
playlist about SEO.
Learn how to submit your sitemap and edit your store’s keywords.
This is a great way to make your store visible in Google search results.
Lastly, if your store is open to a small number of customers, then you can use a scheduling
app like Sesame.
With a scheduling app, customers can book a time to visit your store.
When your retail locations open again, you can also use scheduling apps to open your
store slowly to a small number of customers.
This gives your staff the time to transition back to regular retail operations.
If you have suggestions to help other entrepreneurs, then comment below.
Or, consider joining the conversation in Shopify Community using the link in the description.
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