Summer doesn’t need to melt your sales. Warmer days bring more foot traffic, and that means plenty of golden opportunities for retailers to offer cool relief and hot deals.

Think about it: When the weather turns to cold winter nights hinting of sleighs and snowmen, retailers often use their space to offer cozy refuge, a warm beverage and great sales. Summer is also a terrific chance for merchants to benefit from the rising tide of foot traffic.

Whether it’s festivals, farmers’ markets or outdoor events, this is the time of year people enjoy being outside. While shopping may not be on the radar, merchants have a fertile opportunity to attract new customers and build relationships with the multitudes of passersby.

Here are three keys to igniting summer sales.

Invite

Outdoor signage or a salesperson outside your store can create an irresistible allure. Offering a cool refreshment as simple as free water or lemonade is one approach to customers straight through the front door. Once inside, create reasons for shoppers to linger. Seasonal items arranged in attractive displays, such as sunglasses, hats or tote bags, are always useful and appreciated. Relaxing music and friendly staff add ambiance and can help polish your brand.

Create a rewards program so your customers have a reason to return. If you sell food or drink, a “Buy 10, get the next one free” is a good way to start. A merchandise rewards program can offer a discount above a certain amount. Referral programs are also proven to build clientele and customer loyalty. When you reward shoppers with discounts or free samples, you are expanding your customer base and reinforcing brand loyalty to your store. Structure the program in a way that makes sense to your operation, but don’t overlook the potent value these incentives offer both you and your customers.

Engage

Summer days may be lazy, but they still have a rhythm. Creating a weekly or bi-monthly event can be enormously advantageous to the small business owner. Whether it’s free samples, special sales, demonstrating a new item, or simply a TGIF open house with complimentary refreshments, summer is prime time to earn the loyalty of new customers who can either keep walking past your door, or find a reason to step over the threshold. Give them as many reasons as you can. Keep the experience entertaining. A looping video featuring a highlighted product or accentuating the mood with themed audio-visuals has been shown to have positive impacts on consumer spending patterns—and ultimately the bottom line.

Stage Flash Events

Use social media to create a flash event. Tweet or post announcements about spontaneous one-hour bargains. You can also use a sidewalk chalkboard to create buzz about an impromptu deal. Offering hot deals for a very limited time on a regular basis can add to the summertime fireworks. Consider lighting up the night time sky with longer store hours and even hotter deals to keep sales sizzling.

Making Hay

Shriveling sales in the heat of summer is not inevitable. This is the perfect time to be presenting scorching hot deals that can add muscle to your customer loyalty programs and mass to your revenues. Contrary to prevailing thought, summer offers retailers a robust array of opportunities to take advantage of the season’s weather and activities to inspire sales and grow receipts.

If you’re a Specialty Store Services customer who would like more information on Outdoor Signage, just Email Us. You can also shop for all of your Signage supplies online on our website, Specialty Store Services, by Live Chat, or by phone at 800-999-0771.