The pandemic has been hard on everyone, especially small businesses. As a retailer, you may be wondering how to increase sales in retail. It’s important now more than ever to keep your sales team motivated. Here are three ways how to increase sales in retail during the pandemic and beyond!

Ready to start using these retail sales tips?

As a retail consultant, I often hear, “Oh, we used to do that. I don’t know why we stopped.” It’s frustrating when companies don’t keep up with simple best practices that can make such a big difference in their sales.

It doesn’t matter why.

When you’re just starting out in retail, it’s important to stay focused on your customers. Every sale can mean the difference between making your payroll or not. By providing great customer service and creating a positive shopping experience, you’ll be more likely to make those all-important sales.

You knew what it was like to be hungry for success, and you knew how to find people who felt the same way.

You created an environment in your store that was inviting and energetic. You hired people who were passionate about sales, and who knew how to create a fun and challenging experience for customers. This made it easy for anyone to come in and enjoy themselves.

You created a buzz in your store. Anyone who walked through the door was instantly drawn in.

Anything could happen.

It’s still.

Use these retail sales tips to get started or reignite your passion for the industry. Then, train your staff so they can provide the best possible experience for customers. By doing so, you’ll be able to increase sales and create a loyal customer base.

How to Increase Sales in Retail During a Pandemic

The following text contains tips on how to boost retail sales and create raving fans.

Let’s get started so you can start driving more retail sales.

Looking to increase your sales in retail stores during a pandemic? The key here is to realize that brick and mortar stores have a limited customer base.

After all, there are only so many customers who are willing to come into your shop, store, or office, even with or without a mask, on a given day.

While it’s true that a great marketing campaign can attract customers, you can’t just focus on that. You also have to think about retaining the customers you already have.

Your store may be missing out on potential revenue if it’s focusing solely on getting customers in the door. Instead, focus on turning visitors into paying customers. Track your conversion rate to see if your tactics are working.

If you’re looking to improve your retails sales, start by focusing your efforts on turning website visitors into customers. By keeping track of your conversion rate, you’ll be able to see which strategies are working and which aren’t. Try to focus on offering more products to customers who already trust you.

You’re likely not suggesting complementary products to your customers that they could use but are never shown.

Some people are acting standoffish towards customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, thinking that customers just want to get in and get out quickly.

That’s costing your company a lot of money.

Employees may have developed a culture in your store of price focusing — what is on sale, what is the cheapest, and even the attitude of I’m not trying to sell you.

But that doesn’t excuse it.

As a company, it’s crucial to keep your clients satisfied and to provide them with everything they may need. If a client leaves your store with one item, they may still be content with what they bought, but they’re not receiving everything that they needed. By not giving them what they need, you’re allowing your competitors the chance to make loyal customers out of those who should have remained yours.

You’re selling yourself short if you settle for crumbs when you could have the whole feast.

The best way to increase sales is to focus on the people who actually come into your store. By increasing the average ticket, you’ll reach your revenue goals.

Despite the lower number of customers and the seasonality, you still have the chance to meet your goals by upselling your customers. This will boost your overall profits.

You can increase ticket average and increase sales by improving customer service and offering promotions.

One method to increase retail sales is by providing your sales staff with value-selling techniques.

Your salespeople need to know how to add value to a product by upselling or cross-selling it.

Not only will this approach help increase the value of each sale, it will also eliminate markdowns.

1. Get to know everyone who walks into your store.

There are many sales ideas that retail businesses can use to create a positive customer experience. One of the most important is building rapport with customers to ensure that they have a positive experience shopping.

Great customer service begins with having exceptional employees. Your staff needs to be able to handle all sorts of situations in a positive manner. This will lead to a memorable customer experience that will encourage repeat business.

Getting out from behind the desk and into the field means letting your salespeople decide when they want to meet with clients.

If you want to have successful employees in sales, they need to listen to customers and determine what actually motivates them to make a sale. Once they understand this, they can then relate your product to the customer’s desires.

When you make a real connection with every customer who walks in the door, you’ll keep them from leaving and going to your competitors. By creating that connection, they’ll keep coming back to your store rather than looking online.

By taking the time to build a relationship with each customer who walks through your doors, you will lay the foundation for a long-lasting relationship with them, where each will look forward to seeing the other again. This will increase customer loyalty.

When you walk into our store, our sales associates will be there to great you with a smile. They’ll get to know you and your needs, so they can better advise you on what products would be the best fit for you. You’ll never feel like just a number at our store!

2. Your sales scripts should be well thought out and practiced

At our shop, we strive to give our customers the best experience possible. Unfortunately, we often see our employees leave customers on the shop floor, whether from bad hires, lack of proper training, or the belief that if a customer wants something, they will ask for it. This needs to stop. We need to do everything in our power to value and appreciate each and every customer.

Standing in line, waiting for someone to talk to them or waiting to be rung up.

Your untrained employees are waiting impatiently for your customers to ask questions, or worse, are just waiting so they can jump on the phone and chat with their buddies.

When you have a sales process that is consistent, it is like having a good script. This makes it easier for everyone to understand what is happening and how to achieve the desired outcome of a purchase. In other words, this makes it easier to increase sales in retail.

3. Retail marketing optimization

If you don’t have a passion for retail or creativity, your social media posts and advertising strategy won’t be as effective as it could be. Business owners need to put their heart and soul into every aspect of their business in order to be successful.

While outsourcing your social media accounts may be tempting, it may actually hurt your business. Posting too much content on social sites may discourage visitors from visiting your site.

Knowing who your audience is and what questions they have is key to creating engaging social media content that keeps them coming back for more.

4. Don’t sell on pricing alone. Instead, focus on providing as much value to your prospects as possible

Value selling is the key to increasing sales in retail. By steering customers toward the best option for them, rather than the cheapest option, you can increase profits while still providing excellent customer service.

Heck, that’s a lot of retail businesses these days. However, markdowns can eat into profits, and the cheapest option is not always the best option for the customer.

By understanding your product line, you’ll be able to keep the conversation focused on the value of the product. This will keep the customer from focusing on the short-term price.

When customers realize that there are real differences in quality between products, they will be more likely to see the value in paying a higher price for a better product. By understanding the customer’s needs and wants, salespeople can keep the conversation focused on the long-term value that premium products offer.

A great way to help them understand the value of your products is to have them tell stories about their own experiences. Have them say, “I felt the same way about this product. I thought it was too expensive.”

Once a customer understands the value that the product offers, the features become much easier to explain. By focusing on how these features will benefit them, the sales rep can add extra value to the overall deal.

5. Use different messaging for different stages in a buyer’s journey.

If you miss the awareness step and consideration step of the buyer’s journey, you should focus your efforts on getting the prospect to purchase.

Most companies focus too much on discounts to attract buyers who have already made a decision to purchase. This often results in missed opportunities for upselling.

When you take the time to understand all three stages of the buyer’s journey, you can create more compelling content that resonates with your audience. By focusing on just one aspect of the journey at a time, you can reach a wider range of people and increase your retail sales. Keep this in mind as you produce videos, blog posts, articles, and newsletters moving forward.

6. Suggestive Selling

A salesperson who sells electronic goods, such as televisions, knows that the 4k resolution they offer is only as good as the sound system.

That can segue into a discussion about surround sound or a soundbar. An outfit is not, by itself, beautiful, and cameras have a lot of different lens and focal options to make them artistic devices.

The salesperson’s upsells not only exceed customer expectations, but also result in higher per-ticket sales. This benefits both the customer and the salesperson, creating a win-win situation.

Your salespeople need to have a complete understanding of your product lines in order to increase sales effectively. It is more important for them to understand the products as a whole, rather than just individual features. By having this knowledge, they will be able to create additional value for their customers.

Your sales team should understand what add-ons are, even if they don’t know the specifics. That way, they can sell customers on the idea of buying multiple items instead of just one.

7. List the benefits of your product

Most shoppers are not engineers and therefore, facts can be boring to them. If you only provide a long list of facts about the product, you will likely lose the shopper’s interest.

When you focus on your customer first, you can see how your product can help them improve their life in some way. Whether it’s a small upgrade or a major one, understanding this helps you market your product better and sell more of it.

What to Do When Sales Slump or it’s Simply a Slow Day

When sales slump or it’s simply a slow day, there are a few things you can do to stay productive. First, take a look at your LinkedIn profile and make sure it’s up-to-date. You never know when a potential customer or client will come across your profile. Secondly, use Twitter to connect with others in your industry. See what others are talking about and join the conversation. Finally, take some time to brainstorm new ideas for marketing or product development. By staying active and engaged, you’ll be ready to take advantage of any opportunities that come your way.

If you are a retailer, it is likely that your sales will slump at some point.

There are a number of reasons why retailers may experience a slump in sales, such as forces beyond their control like the city tearing up the street in from of their store or a seasonal sales dip.

Here are 10 simple tips you and your sales staff can use to improve your sales.

Teaching retail sales associates how to sell

No matter the size of your team, all salespeople can benefit from training on retail sales.

Make sure to go over the company’s policies and procedures, as well as product knowledge. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page and knows what they need to do. It’s also important to role-play different sales scenarios. This will help associates feel prepared for anything that might come up. Finally, make sure to give feedback regularly. This way, you can help associates improve and reach their full potential.

For one week, you could assign your new team members to work alongside your experienced employees.

You can teach your sales associates in retail sales by having them work under an experienced team member for the first week of training. You can further reinforce your training by holding regular meetings or sessions for your team. You can suggest sales tactics to your team members, which they can then test out on your customers. You can educate your sales team on consumer psychology and what drives people to make purchases. You can request that your vendors provide you with information on new products, which you can then share with your entire staff.

When a customer requests another size or color that is out of stock in-store, be prepared to offer them the same item from another location or your warehouse.

If a customer wants an item that’s currently unavailable, the associate can ship the item to them or ask them to come back later to pick one up.

You should meet with your employees at least once a month to go over their sales performance. Providing them with feedback will help them improve their skills to better serve customers.

3. Motivate Your Sales Team With an Improved Compensation Package

Your sales department is the driving force behind your business. Without them, your company would be nowhere.

Sales teams are the lifeblood of any business – it’s no secret that a motivated sales team can help increase revenue. According to surveys by SAP and Spherion, compensation is the number one motivator for employees. This means that offering a competitive and fair compensation package is essential to keeping your sales team happy and motivated.

So, think about a sales comp plan that works well for your retail store and your sales staff. You don’t have to figure this out on your own.

Consider your place in your industry. And ask yourself these questions:

What’s your motivation? If you’re looking to increase sales and grow your business, you need to factor in your company’s place within your industry. Are you focused on new products? Do you want to add margin? Increasing average spend? All of these are important factors to consider when trying to increase sales. By taking the time to understand what motivates your team, you can create a compensation package that will help them reach their goals—and yours.

Every answer will guide the overall design of your compensation plan. Try not to cap sales compensation because you might end up getting what you pay for. Good salespeople won’t stick around if there is poor compensation.

If a salesperson isn’t getting paid enough, they won’t stay around for long.

Conclusion

If you’re a retailer looking for ways how to increase sales retail, it’s important to keep your sales team motivated. By providing training on retail selling, offering an improved compensation package, and setting clear goals, you can give them the tools they need to succeed.