Your 5-point summer business checklist

Warm weather, ice creams and sundaes, butterflies, seas and sand…. Summer is practically here, officially starting on Monday, 21 June 2021. With more people out and about, easing Covid-19 restrictions, more travellers and summer sales, is your business ready for it? Take a look at our five-point checklist for some tips and ideas about how to welcome the new season in style!  

1. A good old tidy-up never hurt anyone

Winter is gone but that doesn’t mean that no damage was caused to your physical location by the natural elements. This is why checking for damage is a good idea. Look out for cracked windows, blocked ventilation and check out your pipes. Once done with this overview, consider giving your store a nice clean! Windows, floors, shelves and counters should all be dusted and tidied up to give your shop a cleaner, fresher appearance and make it more inviting for your customers. 

2. Freshen up your online presence

With summer come longer shopping hours, more time outdoors and more people out and about looking for special deals. When it comes to your opening hours, have you made sure to update them? Consider doing so on Google Maps, on your store’s front door as well as anywhere else where these are displayed. Reviews are another important element to freshening up your online presence. Reviews are today’s word-of-mouth marketing tools. Most customers check out a review before purchasing a product or a service from a business, so you need to consider checking your reviews on a regular basis and addressing both positive and negative reviews in a timely manner, dealing with the negative ones as quickly as possible and trying to resolve the issue to your customers’ satisfaction. 

3. Launch summer deals 

Summer is also a great time for launching new deals, special offers and promotions. It’s the perfect time to reduce prices on winter stock and to introduce brand new items to your customers. Make sure your email lists are up to date, use catchy fonts and colours in your email templates, and ensure your copy and content is as fresh as possible. It might also be time to go through your old email lists and do a spring clean for them, too. Which customers have unsubscribed? Which customers no longer live in the vicinity? How might you reach more new customers by getting their email addresses? Consider offering something small but of value in return for an email address to foster a healthy and long-lasting business relationship. 

4. Be visible on mobile and social media 

Shopping on mobile is not a passing trend. It’s the future. It’s becoming easier and easier for customers to shop online or view deals before going into a physical store just by browsing on their smartphone device. Is your shop’s website optimised for mobile? If not, it’s time to invest in this necessary innovation. Your social media channels are another excellent way of reaching existing and potential customers. Make sure you regularly post news, updates and special deals on social media so that your customers can follow you and take advantage of the opportunities you’re offering them. This is another important way of creating brand loyalty. 

5. Get involved locally

Summer is perfect for street markets, stalls and corner sales. This is why you need to stay up-to-date with your local chamber of commerce, to ensure that your store is represented there and that you reach a wider clientele. You can also get your store’s band noticed more by sponsoring local events. Sporting events are one example. You might choose to hand out flyers to passers-by or you might choose to sponsor T-shirts. Either way, this will be a big boost to your brand’s visibility. 

Final thoughts

Summer is almost here so take advantage of it to help your business grow! The changes in weather, shopping habits, increased availability of outdoor events and more are a great opportunity to get your brand noticed. Use our 5-point checklist to help your business start off summer on a positive vibe and keep the momentum going throughout the season.