Summer is the perfect season to attract new and curious customers to your storefront. Whether you’re located in a small town or big city, you know how hard it can be to get customers to walk through your door – especially if you have competition around the corner or down the street.
Many customers during this time of year are “just browsing” or “window shopping” – which can be frustrating as a small business owner. In order to turn the “just looking” customers into the purchasing customers, you’re going to need to make your storefront stand out this season. Below are a few helpful tips and tricks to ensuring that your business stands out against the rest.
10 tips for making your business stand out this summer
- Add your logo design to the facade. Placing your logo somewhere on the outside of your storefront will help with brand awareness. Customers will be more drawn into your shop in order to learn more about what you can offer them. If you have a large single pane window out front, we recommend ordering a large window decal of your logo. Steer clear from using a colored decal and instead opt for a white version of your logo design; white will stand out much better against a window.
Place a business sign on the sidewalk. During the summer months, everyone is out walking around at a leisurely pace. Placing a standing business sign on the sidewalk in front of your storefront will capture the attention of anyone walking directly past your business. Ordering a simple chalkboard sign will allow you and your employees to get creative and write different calls-to-action on a day-to-day basis. If you own a restaurant, write down your daily specials or advertise a happy hour. If you’re a boutique, announce a sale or new line of clothing. Feel free to get funny, witty, or wholesome. Pro tip: adding your business logo in the corner will help customers quickly identify your brand.- Keep products or samples outside. Nothing draws customers into your storefront faster than having a few of your products displayed outside. Order a custom table cover with your business logo front and center, then drape it over a folding table and place it right outside your storefront. On top of the table, place a selection of your most popular products. If you own a salon or spa, think about placing free sample products such as moisturizer, perfume, or body scrub. If you’re a liquor store or brewery, have a few beverages on ice to hand out in small Dixie cups. For clothes shops, have accessories lined up and a clothing rack stationed to the side of the table.
- Play some subtle music. When the weekend is in full swing and the weather is beautiful, open up your doors and windows and let the music from inside your shop be heard from outside. People are naturally curious, and passerby will look to see who is playing the tunes. Make sure that you and your employees sit down and create a curated playlist that’s appropriate for all ages and isn’t going to be distracting to a customer once they are inside. Keep the volume low enough that it just sounds like background noise, and never stream music from a service with ads (as this can often be very distracting).
- Hang a banner outside. Does your business always host an annual or bi-annual sale? Are you celebrating a business milestone? Perhaps you’re having a grand opening. Whatever the case may be, hanging a large custom vinyl banner is a great way to grab the attention of anyone walking or driving by your storefront. The best part about outdoor banners is that they’re incredibly sturdy, weatherproof, and have a large enough surface area to include loads of information. Make sure to include your business logo, business name, and slogan (if applicable) along with your promotional message.
- Place a lawn sign out front. Lawn signs are a great way to get customers through the door if you’re planning a seasonal or holiday sale. Custom lawn signs have enough space for your logo, your promotional message, and some additional company information such as phone number and website. The best part about lawn signs is that they are easy to install, they’re affordable, and they are perfect for businesses who are situated further from the sidewalk or street. If your business is located on a side street, add arrows to your lawn signs to direct customers to your door.
- Add seasonal decor in the window. Its time to dust off the beach-themed decor once again. Head to your local dollar or home good’s store and pick up some fun summertime props such as beach balls, floaties, tubes of sunscreen, and sunglasses. Next, take the time to stage your storefront window and transform it into a summer paradise. To ensure your brand stands out, consider ordering custom baseball hats or polos to add to the display. Purchase some seasonal flowers and plants and place them at the entrance as a warm and welcome greeting.
- Stand outside to greet your customers. One of the most unique ways to ensure your business stands out this summer is to literally stand out. Instead of sitting behind the register all day, grab a lawn chair or stool and head outside to greet passerby. Customers love chatting with the owners of small businesses! Exchanging pleasantries fosters a better customer-business relationship, and you are most likely to get those individuals to make a purchase. It’s all about customer service these days, and you can make sure that happens before they even step foot in the door by greeting them outside.
- Hand out free stuff. We understand that ordering custom promotional products can get expensive rather quickly, but in the long run, the benefits outweigh the costs. Consider what your marketing budget is and do some online shopping to determine what product is the most cost-effective. Pens, magnets, stickers, and window decals are some of the most popular and cost-effective promo products out there. Bulk ordering is inexpensive and the customization options are essentially limitless. Not to mention these items take up very little space and can easily be placed at your register for customers to pick up. Once word gets out that you’re handing out free merchandise, you’re bound to see an influx in foot traffic.
- Collaborate with other businesses. One of the best tactics to making your storefront stand out during the summer is collaborating with another business. If you know the shop owners next to you or across the street from you, run a parallel sale or promotion that will get customers to both storefronts. Even large corporations will collaborate with one another, like that time Dunkin’ Donuts and Harpoon Brewery released a Dunkin’ Donuts-based coffee porter. Talk with the other business owner to see how you can join forces. If you’re a restaurant that doesn’t serve dessert but there’s a pastry shop next door, offer their desserts to your patrons.
The whole goal this summer is to get your brand recognized and noticed and the best way to do so is to beef up the appearance of your storefront. These are just a few ideas from which you can choose, but we strongly encourage you to get creative and come up with your own ideas. No matter what, just make sure that your business logo and company name are the highlight of any promotion or advertisement.
