There are literally thousands of promotional ideas out there, but not all of them are suited to every individual retail outlet. When thinking of ideas for your promotions you have to bear in mind a few key points: It must be appealing to new and old customers alike. Base your promotion around a theme, for example if running a sweet shop your theme could be retro sweets. How will you advertise your promotion? How to Appeal to Old and New Customers The whole point of a promotion, you would think, is to attract new customers to your shop. But this isn’t the only point of a promotion. You don’t want to put off regular customers who may be dissuaded from entering your shop by the increased number of customers all queuing to be served. Make sure then, that you have enough resources available to ensure that customers are served quickly

The focal point of a shop, no matter how large or small, is its windows. This is the face that the shop portrays to the outside world, this is where you reveal your identity – the very essence that makes your shop unique. It is the first thing that shoppers notice and just like a book cover, your shop will be judged upon it, so getting it right is key. Whilst many shops will employ a professional window dresser, they do come at a price so many prefer to go it alone. It is possible to create a dynamic and exciting window display by yourself as long as you remember to follow a few key pointers. Themes It is essential that your shop has a theme, such as a boutique style or olde worlde sweet shoppe and no matter what time of year it is, you must not detract too

You might think that baskets are just for supermarkets – after all who wants to carry a basket around a small independent shop? But that’s where you would be horribly wrong. Imagine the scenario; a woman walks into a shop, which is a good sign, she obviously wants to buy something. But hang on, she’s already got one of her hands full – she’s carrying a handbag. Well of course she is, who do you know goes shopping without their handbag or perhaps a purchase they’ve already made? In fact we are so used to going out of the house with a bag that on the rare occasions we leave the house completely empty handed we feel as though we’ve forgotten something. Ok, so back to the woman, she’s walked into the shop and one of her hands is already taken up with her bag which leaves just one hand

Many shops make the mistake of doing meticulous research in the early days of planning their shop and then nothing in the years that follow. Yet customer trends change not just yearly but monthly and even weekly and you cannot rely on the research you did two years ago to accurately reflect your customers’ trends now. Many outside factors will dictate and even change customer habits such as new competition or economic worries. Whilst it may take up precious time and perhaps even expense to research your customer base, it is recommended that you do so at least once a year so that you can adapt to any changes and stay ahead of the game. When doing your research there are three main customer focus areas that you should take into consideration: The customers you aim to attract into your shop. The customers who already shop with you. The customers

If your shop is very new then marketing is a means of telling the world that you have arrived – or at least your local town! It gives you the opportunity to meet your customers and for them to meet you. But marketing is not just for new shops for there is a tendency, once the newness has worn away and the first flow of customers are through the door, to think that your shop will grow organically. Unfortunately this is not the case and every shop, whether they have just have started or have been a permanent fixture of a town for the past 200 years, needs a new marketing strategy every now and then. It can be tempting to presume that you know exactly what your customers want and that your customers also know all about you and the services you offer, but towns and people change and

The next time you walk into a shop just stop for a moment and do a little observation. How much of the shop entrance do you recall? Can you say what was immediately to the left and right of you as you walked into the shop? Chances are that you won’t recall anything for at least a metre or two from the entrance of the shop. This entrance space is what some retailers call ‘the landing strip’. Once the customer has made the decision to walk into your shop they do so with purpose, pausing only when they are fully over the threshold. Let’s put it another way, you must at some point have walked into a small grocery shop and then found yourself wondering where the baskets are before you finally locate them right at the side of the shop entrance? Baskets placed here will not be picked up by the customer,

How you layout the inside of the shop is of vital importance if you want to guide your customer around your stock. There is nothing worse than a cluttered shop and customers will avoid stores that look too crowded. Accessibility also needs to be thought out, especially in relation to wheelchairs and buggies. Many new shops and those who just need a revamp cannot afford to spend money on professional shop fitters or designers. If you can find the extra cash, then many shops will say that it’s money well spent, but if you can’t then a few small ideas can make a huge difference to the look and feel of your shop. The key is to keep it simple. Don’t spend too much time focusing on the displays inside your shop when your attention could be put to better use on a fantastic window display or sprucing up the