How can you get started with your retail store?

Answer 1

Here aresome proven promotional techniques that you commonly see Retail Stores, restaurants, and other offline businesses use:

1. "Can I gift wrap that for you?"

Stores and offline businesses have been successfully using this method for a long time where they will wrap an item specifically intended for the customer to give as a gift. In the online world, this same concept can easily be utilized by adding a "Give as a Gift" feature to your online checkout pages.

2. "They ALL Must Go!"

I think of car lots when I hear this; they must get rid of inventory to make room for the 2014 models. You can also focus on clearing out your inventory online by setting a maximum quantity available and using countdown timers that visually show how many units are still available.

3. "Black Friday Special!"

It seems that businesses have effectively run flash sale promotions for a long time. One of the most prominent is the day after Thanksgiving; the Black Friday Sale. E-commerce sites and daily dealers can utilize this same psychology by running short, 1 hour - 24 hour flash sales. These typically work most effectively when there is a visual countdown clock on the site. As the close-out time nears, conversion rates typically increase.

4. "Join our mailing list and get 10% off your next purchase."

Give incentives for your prospects and customers to share, interact, tweet, comment-on, or 'like' about your business or promotion. It is in our nature to be attracted to getting a good deal. Use this human behavior to your advantage this holiday season and in every promotion you run.

5. "We Support _________."

Give incentives to your customers to donate to a charity, school, or cause. You'll find they might just want to do so, and they might look at your business in a more positive light, and you'll be able to run your business for a greater good, by implementing cause marketing.

6. "50% Off and 2-for-1's"

One of the oldest tricks in the book… Offer limited time discounts. The most common strategies used are to display the percentage off that the customer will save, and to offer multiple items for discount, eg. 2 for 1, 3 for 4, etc.

7. "Would you like fries with that burger?"
Upsell related items for a discount / for a friend… Right when your customers are about to buy is the easiest time to get them to order something else. Online, 1 click upsells and point of purchase upsells work like magic. Godaddy is always my favorite example of a company who maximizes their revenue through upsells. Try and order a $10 domain name and next thing you know they've offered you thousands of dollars worth of additional products and services.

8. "Bulk Order Discounts!"

In the online world, another option is to utilize a minimum buying power or collective buying power that only allows a sale to occur if a pre-set quantity is ordered.

9. "Play the Monopoly Contests!"

McDonalds TM isn't the first to hold promotional contests that encourage traffic into their store. This holiday season, run a contests where your customers, prospects, or target market can win something of value that they desire. When done properly, this can drive an enormous amount of traffic and growth to your business.

10. "Would you like another beer?"

Servers are typically masters at this. They notice that the patrons drink is empty and ask them if they'd like a refill. Online, you can accomplish the same thing by reaching out to your clients when they most likely would need to order from you again.