The summer months are traditionally the worst time for profitability unless you happen to be in the travel and tourism industry. If you have a local shop, your sales are generally going to tank. Your strategy is to tread water as best you can and try not to lose too much money. If you can make it to the holiday season, your ledger will right itself. Schools are not the only institutions that take a hiatus when the weather turns hot. Bit tech goes into a bit of a holding pattern conventions and expos take a break. B2B sales are difficult because decision-makers are away on vacation.
Your ability to survive often depends on your location. If you are in one of the big destination cities, things might pick up because you have a lot of incoming traffic. But if you are in a smaller town, the population dwindles because everyone is headed out to enjoy adventures elsewhere. Cities with baseball teams might take a bigger hit than usual as local businesses brace for the economic impact of MLB lockouts. Summer is always tough for local businesses. But with all that is going on in the world right now, the times are even tougher. Here is how to keep your profits from completely melting in the summer heat:
Parcel Lockers
By now, you already know the benefits of having parcel lockers in your business. But did you know you could upgrade to fridge parcel service? Refrigerated lockers are good for receiving groceries, medicine, flowers, and more. These lockers are used for “buy online, pickup in locker” (BOPIL) settings. If you are a small grocer that doesn’t offer delivery, these lockers can make a real difference. A staff member can fulfill the small orders right into the lockers for customers to pick up at their convenience. This saves time for the customer and resources for the store.
In general, adding parcel lockers can help your business just by giving people in the neighborhood a reason to enter your store. Furthermore, they are almost always happy when they do. Everyone loves getting a package. It is like a little present that brightens the day. When they walk into your store excited about picking up their package, they will be more inclined to pick up other things while they’re at it. Boost your summer sales by giving people a reason to come into the store for more than your great products and services.
Cool It
If evaporative coolers can work in Arizona, they can work anywhere. If you want people to come into your store, you are going to have to make the indoor temperature cool without being overbearingly cold. That can be a challenging balance to reach. Rather than trying to refrigerate hot air, an evaporative cooler starts by pumping out the hot air. That greatly reduces the humidity. It is usually the humidity that makes high heat feel oppressive.
In Arizona, no one beats the heat entirely. People get tired and lose energy much faster. This leads to heat-induced exhaustion, and worse. They will need to sit down. The last thing you want is for people to literally shop till they drop. Find room in the store for a bench or a handful of folding chairs. It doesn’t have to be an elegant solution when it is 115° in the shade. Small accommodations like that can make a customer choose your shop vs. the one across the street.
Deliver
If your customers have air-conditioning at home during a heat wave, that is where they are going to want to stay. That doesn’t mean they don’t need things. And it doesn’t mean you should yield the business to Amazon. Find a way to deliver to customers in their local area whether it be groceries, medicine, or dog toys. It is okay to charge for delivery. People are happy to pay a little extra for the safety and convenience of not having to leave the house. Even if it means you lose a little money during the summer, they will remember the good service when it is time to do their holiday shopping.
At the end of the day, it is all about making it into that all-important holiday season in a position of strength and stability. Establish that in the summer months by providing parcel lockers, keeping it cool inside, and delivering to those who can’t bring themselves to get out of the house.
