Besides being a particularly busy Christmas shopping day, this coming Saturday is “Small Business Saturday“.
Once a year, American Express (organizer of Small Business Saturday) encourages shoppers to shop at a small local business and offers marketing materials to help small businesses take part in the event by encouraging locals to shop their store.
While you might be thankful that Amex makes an effort to place shoppers’ focus on small retailers for that all-important Saturday in November, and for the (hopefully) positive effect it has on your Christmas season sales, Small Business Saturday (and the holiday shopping season in general) is far more important than a one day sales boost.
For many shoppers, it might be the one opportunity you have all year to get their attention and leave an impression on them that helps them remember to shop your store all year long. Bottom line: Amex has gotten the ball rolling for Thanksgiving Saturday. That leaves the other 51 Saturdays on you.
Not simply another sales day
Even without Amex’s help to promote Small Business Saturday, it’s an opportunity to do so many things because you’ll see shoppers you usually don’t see.
Show them why they should shop at your place more often. Make it clear to price shoppers that your prices are competitive, and if they aren’t, make it clear that your prices are justifiably higher because your products/services are of higher value, or that you deliver more, save time, save hassle, etc.
Use this opportunity to engage shoppers in recurring purchase opportunities, but do it in a way that makes sense, not simply because I suggested it.
Collect contact information. While some are protective of this info, it’s often because their contact info has been misused. Tell people what you will do and do that and nothing else. Let them be selective about the resources you send them rather than giving them only one choice.
You might have lists for monthly promotions, value shoppers, last minute (or low stock / closeout) deals, as well as for special events. Let THEM decide what list they’re on and treat that list with great care.
Make your place a refuge from shopping mayhem
We’ve all seen the news stories and video of the ugliness of box store Black Friday sales. People are fighting traffic, fighting for parking spaces, fighting to be one of the first 62 people to get the Barbie Turbo Fashion Corvette, fighting massive crowds and so on.
Don’t let your store become a part of that. REI decided to close their store on Black Friday. To be sure, some of this is about publicity and this decision was likely made based on their Friday sales figures (think about their clientele), but no matter what really drove the decision, they really are making a point about not taking part in what goes on during Black Friday.
While closing shop probably doesn’t make sense for you, the idea to stand out and take steps to be a refuge from the mayhem is a good one.
Standing out in a crowd
Think about the things that reduce the enjoyment that people get when shopping for gifts for the people they love:
- Starting at 4am
- Lines
- Crowds
- Parking
- Dealing with “those people who only seem to drive/park/shop one weekend a year”
- Shortages of items
- Hauling around the day’s booty
Everyone’s list might be different. What steps can you take to take the pain, hassle and aggravation out of their day?
It’s not too late.
If you have a preferred client list, this is a great time to bestow a nice benefit for those who have earned the right to be on that list. Offer them valet parking, special shopping hours all to themselves and deferred pickup of items.
Let them order by phone or via your website, even if you aren’t setup to take their money until they arrive for pickup.
Next year, start earlier
Next year, be sure to plan and promote your Small Business Saturday event well in advance. Ask your local retailers group and your Chamber of Commerce to get involved in promoting the event both to shoppers and to local retailers, if they aren’t already. Take advantage of the effort Amex is making, and the resources they provide to make Small Business Saturday your own – and not simply a one day bump in sales.
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a strategic, operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site, contact him on Twitter, or email him at [email protected].