As 2020 winds down, end-of-year sales are more crucial than ever for small businesses who’ve been hit hard by pandemic closures. To maximize your sales, you’ll need to plan carefully for this year’s extended retail holiday. Vagaro’s 3-part series teaches you how to target Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday and how to work the three retail holidays together to generate more sales. Read on to learn how to attract more holiday shoppers to your online shop for Small Business Saturday!
What’s Different About This Year’s Small Business Saturday?
This year, seasonal sales have started earlier and are projected to last longer than usual. By planning “Small Business Saturday” sales throughout November (and into December too!), you give your business more opportunities to offset the year’s losses and secure some new customers for 2021.
Get Your Business Ready for #ShopSmall Sales
Retail predictions support trends we’ve already seen happening: low/no-touch shopping, with stores operating at limited capacity. That means if your small business doesn’t have an online store yet, it’s time to set one up – or get left behind. Here are some effective ways to combine online and in-person marketing campaigns to attract more shoppers and make more sales.
Create (or update!) your Shop Small Listing, so small biz shoppers can easily find your business on the interactive map.
Capitalize on the momentum of your Black Friday sales to continue on to Shop Small Saturday (and then extend it to Cyber Monday, and beyond.)
Give local customers exclusive discounts and incentives to Shop Small. Don’t change your online seasonal sales, but make sure to give local customers something special for Small Biz Saturday. Offer BOGO product bundles exclusive for in-store shoppers or curbside pickup orders, include extra freebies, or coupons local shoppers can cash in throughout 2021.
Use the Shop Small Resources to customize social media posts, add to your email and text marketing blasts, and increase local engagement with your business.
Post #ShopSmall flash sales on social media to attract more customers. By limiting the time window for the sale, customers who don’t want to miss out are less likely to hesitate. For example, run an Early Bird sale from 8 – 10 a.m. where all full-price product sales get a free product of equal or lesser value. Or, create a free shipping Happy Hour for all online sales between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Team up with a neighboring business to create an enticing package for local customers – and give both your businesses a boost. If you can team up with a similar business to create an irresistible package, that’s great, but don’t forget the allure of an intriguing offer. A spin class that provides a bottle of local wine at the end of the ride might be the thing that gets them to put your bundle in their cart and check out!
Shopping Small – The Little Choice That Makes a Big Impact
Shopping local – whether it’s during a pandemic year or not – helps small businesses keep pace with bigger retailers and keeps more money in the community. This year, more than ever, small businesses are depending on consumers to shop small and help them close out a tough year on a high note.
Like what you read? Don’t forget to check out the other two posts in this three-part series. You’ll learn how to customize and build on the momentum of your Black Friday marketing campaign to get more shoppers for Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday!
Vagaro’s online store tools and powerful marketing suite make it easy to encourage customers to #ShopSmall. We’ve got everything you need to send automated sales blasts and keep your online store running as smooth as your brick-and-mortar shop. Who needs a crew of elves, when you’ve got Vagaro?
Header Image: Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Body Images: Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
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