Attracting Customers in a Recession

Even when the economy is tight, you can still attract consumers if you convince them you have what they need.

You may be having difficulty maintaining your existing sales levels, not to mention increasing them. Here are some quick tips for getting your customers to reach into their pockets and spend more during a recession.

Give Away Stuff!

Everybody loves freebies . Sometimes a giveaway can at least get people through the door. If you do, then the chance that they will make a purchase or two goes way up!

You should also be offering customers free gift with a purchase of select products, or on purchases over a certain dollar amount. This will often result in extra sales, especially if you make the upper limit just past your average sale – say customers spend between $40 and $45, make the free gift kick in at  $55. Have popular items at the checkout that will help kick the total just over the minimum required for the freebie.

Put Your Best Foot Forward.

Have your best offers (your products and services) arranged so that they are visible at the entrance of each section. You can also display your best offers in your main window if your store is small or you have lots of foot traffic and window shopping.

Online store owners should consider putting up a landing page highlighting the best offers, so visitors can view them and be tempted to enter into the website and make a purchase.

Customers will at least check out those offers, and may end up buying other items in that section.

Terms such as “Save” and “Limited Time Offer” let customers get the most for their money.

Survey your Customers.

Conduct a survey of your customers and discover what they really think. Figure out what they likes and dislike, and don’t forget to ask what attracted them to particular products or services.

You can use the data gathered to fine tune your marketing strategy, and improve your conversions and sales.

Make Your Stuff Easy to Return, and Warranty it.

You can boost warranties on your products, and offer easy return policies. By  removing risk, you give consumers one more reason to deal with you, and added confidence.