Top 5 summer retail tips to heat up sales

Summer is finally here, and the school holidays will be upon us imminently. Retailers know that summer can be a slower season when the sun is shining, cool drinks are flowing, and customers are busy enjoying the outdoors. However, we’ve got some straightforward retail tips to put into play to help you increase footfall and maximise spending!

Give away tempting summer freebies

Everyone loves a freebie, so tempt shoppers in with little summer treats on the house or complimentary gifts with any purchase. Pop a colourful sign outside to attract footfall in while the freebies last!

Offer anything that’s easy to display in-store, appeals to most people across age groups, and aligns with a summer theme. That could be edibles such as a lemonade stand, chocolate-covered strawberries and sweet kebabs. Or perhaps branded merchandise like frisbees, blow-up beachballs, and environmentally friendly items including reusable coffee cups or shopper bags.

Alternatively, you could add a gift for purchases over a set value.

If your area benefits from tourism, get quick tourism retail insights for summer 2022.

Offer limited edition summer stock

Limited time availability is a great driver for increasing sales by encouraging impulse purchasing. Clearly tie these products into your summer seasonal displays by using bright signage that states products are only available for summer.

Enhance the limited-edition impulse purchasing effect further by creating special bundle discounts.

Learn more about how retailers can drive more impulse purchasing.

Feature outdoor products

Summer is a big opportunity to appeal to anyone keen to spend more time outdoors, but especially families and children during the school holidays. Outdoor-oriented products are ideal to include in your limited edition summer offering.

From best sellers to more unique and quirky offerings, be sure to appeal to your target demographic and purchase in quantities you can shift before summer ends.

Even stock that isn’t outdoor specific can be marketed as such with some outdoor lifestyle imagery on your signage and marketing materials.

See Keycraft’s top tips for Instagram-worthy retail displays.

Run summer-themed digital marketing campaigns

Reach new and existing customers with upbeat and sunny campaigns on social media and via email. Create fresh summer content using bright and warm colours for creatives that feature your unique summer stock with outdoor lifestyle imagery.

Organic campaigns on your owned channels will keep you front of mind with existing customers. However, do include at least one paid campaign to reach a new audience and grow your customer base. Offering a discount for sharing email addresses to help you grow your database and deliver more cost-effective and personalised email marketing campaigns.

Always optimise for mobile, as it’s where most people consume social and personal email content.

If you operate a tourist attraction, get tips to increase spending per tourism visitor!

Get retail-ready while it’s quieter

If sunny summer weather keeps customers outside, make the most of the quiet to get retail-ready before busy periods.

Get up to date with admin, in-store maintenance, and staff training, and take time to shop around for new vendors and product selections for the next year. Plan out the rest of your seasonal features and product lines until next summer.

It’s also an ideal time for an annual review of your marketing assets. Does your branding need an update to better set you apart and improve brand awareness? Could your website, blog and social media profiles use a bit more TLC? Make sure your company information is up to date on all your online profiles, and ensure branding is used consistently. It’s also a great opportunity to review and improve list segmentation for your email newsletter, and perhaps even implement an automated customer loyalty program.

Read more about how to build relationships with your retail customers.

How Keycraft can help

Keycraft is a trusted global supplier of wholesale toys, from pocket money gems to our high-end and realistic Living Nature soft toys.

With considerable retail expertise, favourable minimum order values and rapid shipping from our global warehouses, we’ve been helping retailers grow profits since 1975.

Discover our best-selling toy brands, or peruse our complete collection in our summer edition catalogue.

Our friendly staff are just a phone call away and ready to answer your questions!