How to increase retail sales: expert advice

Sales is one of the foundations of a successful business, no matter what it does. Even if the products most needed for the population are manufactured, they still need to be sold. And as part of the article, we will look at how to increase retail sales.

general information

The question of how to increase retail sales of clothing, furniture, food, flowers, small things, in a crisis and without it, is of interest to a fairly large number of people. If we talk about a single implementation, then here the effectiveness largely depends on specific people. But for an effective sales strategy, one cannot rely only on bright personalities among sellers. When choosing a support system, one of three options is usually chosen:

1. Hire experienced and talented professionals.
2. They are engaged in output, which is in demand, while stimulating its consumption.
3. A holistic sales system is being introduced.

All of these options have a right to exist. The first two are also well known to everyone involved in sales. There may be certain problems with the third. So let's give him a little more attention.

Third option

Its advantage is:

1. Independence from sales staff.
2. The ability to create your own sales training system.
3. Customer focus and usability of the service.

Thanks to this approach, you can quickly get the necessary data. Let's say we have an owner of a furniture salon. He is thinking of increasing store efficiency. That is, he is interested in how to increase sales in furniture retail . The introduction of such a system will allow faster checkout of goods, orders and their implementation by customers. A high service is always pleasant, so this will give a gain in the future.

What can prevent sales growth

Before we analyze the optimization points, let's pay attention to errors. So, you should strive to avoid:

• unsystematic sales;
• poor communication system with suppliers;
• focus on one client (his departure is fraught with problems);
• insufficient motivation for sellers;
• the absence or underdevelopment of the communication system with customers who are dissatisfied with the products, as well as the reluctance in this case to change something at the factory.

So, for a better result, you should strive for:

1. Provide a high-quality customer relationship system.
2. Focus on a complete sales system, not one-time events.
3. Products, packaging and advertising must be consistent with the needs of customers.
4. Clarity must be ensured for the sales team.

What to do in a crisis: general recommendations

Let's say that sad times have come. How to increase retail sales in a crisis in this case? Use the following tips:

1. Call old customers. It is very desirable to monitor the frequency of purchases (which automated sales systems can help) and remind customers of themselves under any convenient pretext: the appearance of a new product, modernization, setting special prices, participation in the exhibition, etc.
2. It should be fixed in the World Wide Web. If you already have a site, but it is no use, make it work.
3. Place ads in unexpected places where their presence will create a positive effect. True, in this case, you should wisely approach the implementation and placement.
4. Intensify interaction with partners and suppliers of the company.
5. Attend thematic events such as exhibitions, seminars, and industry conferences.
6. State your readiness to cooperate with each potential partner.
7. Practice rational sales offers.
8. Conduct promotional campaigns.

Of course, such tips are suitable in cases where the same furniture, clothes, cosmetics and other products are sold that are bought no more than once a quarter. But what if you are interested in how to increase retail sales of food products?

Specific approach

These are quite complex options in terms of implementation, but they also deserve to be considered. So, let's say you need to increase the level of food sales:

1. To begin with, you should take a look at companies that offer goods delivery services. It is possible that the supplier sells foodstuffs quite expensively and companies with a more pleasant pricing policy can be found on the market. In this case, it will be possible to reduce the selling price.
2. You should do experiments when placing goods and see what they take most often together.
3. Considerable attention should be paid to the revealed patterns and try to turn them to their advantage.

Custom ideas

In this case, the greatest attention should be paid to such approaches:

1. Sensitivity to trends. Consider an example. When winter ends, the demand for metal products for homes, sheds, fences and more increases. For an additional effect, loyalty programs, mutual advertising, gifts and recommendations can be used.
2. Exactly like that, but better. The essence of this approach is that there is a choice of goods that are similar in value. In such cases, the highest quality is selected. Using such a “background” can play a good role.
3. More expensive is better. Many people think that the more the product costs, the better. And this is often true. In other cases, they simply profit from this.
4. Symbiotic partnership. Think where it is best to place a point of sale? Here are a couple of combinations: a pharmacy and a grocery store, or auto parts and bicycles. Related areas and related products can very high quality help in raising sales.

And if you are interested in how to increase sales in the retail trade of flowers or other quick-use items, then the latter option will be literally ideal for growth. If you think about it, you can find a good place almost everywhere.

Automated Sales Systems

This is a popular way to organize, configure and improve the efficiency of working with a client when it is carried out in several stages. Let's say there is an online clothing store. Is it possible to improve its work? How to increase retail clothing sales in times of crisis and difficult times?

An automated sales system will help with this! With its help, it is possible to facilitate the establishment of contact, clarification of requirements and requests, registration of requests, their processing and execution, including delivery. An automated sales system also helps in after-sales service and subsequent interactions. There are many advantages and useful features that they can offer.

Building a sales system

A lively mind, sensitivity to the market and quick wit give ample opportunity. But in order to improve the performance of activities, it is necessary to take care of building a sales system. It will help to understand the structure of goods sold in the picture of the general assortment and analyze the intermediate results.

Using an automated sales system as the basis will significantly streamline the available information. In addition, it will be easier to build relationships with customers, starting from his first call and to billing. Significantly help and the ability to make accompanying notes. In addition, they can have various additions like the ability to send instant messages or emails.

Various tools to increase sales

Let's look at a case where the retail sale of something through the World Wide Web is carried out. We’ll only pay attention not to sites, but to social networks. These are quite popular sites where a large number of people are located, and all of them are potential buyers.

According to a fairly large number of people, the presence of a company representative who is engaged in maintaining feedback through social networks increases the number of sales in the amount of a third of the existing turnover. You should not neglect the various pleasant bonuses and souvenirs that can please customers with their availability. It may also be an offer to make an additional purchase with the goods.

Consider this case: a person buys a computer, and he is offered a router at a reduced cost, or even given it for free. One should only adhere to the rule that an additional service should not cost more than the main purchase. You can also use the establishment of a certain threshold for the purchase.

It should be noted that in this case there is no specific model of interaction and it is possible to work here within the framework of imagination. The general essence is approximately as follows:

1. When the purchase price exceeds a certain amount, the buyer will receive a gift, a coupon for the draw or free delivery. Although, maybe something else.
2. When two products are bought, the third is free.

Custom models

In general, the list of different methods can be continued for a very long time. And it’s not out of place to try to turn on your imagination and come up with something new that will help increase sales. Finally, you can recall this:

1. Payment of change in goods. This technique cannot be called widespread, but it is still quite interesting. So, when the buyer pays for the goods, he receives the change not in money, but in some small things. For example, chewing gum, sweets or matches.
2. Multi-colored price tags. This technique is used in cases where you need to draw attention to a particular product and show that it is special. For example, that a food product will soon deteriorate, and therefore it is sold at a discount.
3. Time limited price. It has a strong motivating effect on customers, literally forcing him to buy a product at the moment.
4. The ability to return. There is a pretty tricky trick here. There is a law that obliges you to take the product back if it is returned 14 days after it was purchased. This can be additionally played. It is enough to offer customers that if they do not like the product, then they can return it after 14 days.
5. Tips on price tags. In addition to the cost, in this case it is useful to place information about what they take together in this particular product.

Conclusion

It is definitely impossible to say how effective these measures will be. Much depends on practical implementation and many different aspects. But the fact that the result will be is without a doubt. The main thing is to build a strategy. No need to pile everything up and pile one on the second. In which case, you can always use one first, and then something else. In addition, various special moments can be timed to dates like the New Year, the summer season, etc.

But in pursuit of the number of sales, one should not forget about the minimum necessary price. For the client, of course, is a valuable person, but working at a loss is worthless. Therefore, it is necessary to seek a middle ground. And if one person leaves, you should not be sad, but you need to concentrate on the other people who are in the status of a potential client.