Few sectors better exemplify the dynamism and resilience of Australia’s small businesses than retail. Small retailers employ 345,000 Aussies, drive a quarter of the industry’s entire economic output and bring highstreets and communities together. Peak retail season is here, but arrives under an economic cloud. Interest rates, inflation and the cost of living are impacting business budgets. Big retailers still have significant budgets to invest in paid advertising, but that’s a luxury our small retail businesses cannot afford. However, there are cost-effective ways local retailers can drive big sales on small budgets.
Unleash your customers…and Google
What local businesses might lack in budget for Google or Facebook ads, they make up for in their connection to their customers. Tap their affinity to your local business by encouraging Google reviews – one of the most influential and cost-effective forms of advertising. Reviews are one of the most popular ways to increase the rank of your Google Business Profile – which is how many consumers find local retailers.
A quarter of Aussies read a business’s online reviews before deciding whether to enter a store, so their value shouldn’t be underestimated. Whats more, three-quarters of all clicks go to the top three to five businesses listed on Google. So, if you can encourage your customers to drive a high quantity, quality and regularity of reviews, you’ll likely receive plenty of clicks to your website.
Turn your website from static to sales
An optimised website, primed to convert leads, is like an additional worker or shopfront for a small retailer. The best way to ensure a website is strategically designed to convert leads into sales is to upgrade from a static website to one that engages visitors and analyses their behaviour. Consider webchat, a live chat that engages visitors when they visit your site. Only two per cent of website visitors convert to an enquiry or sale, but webchat can generate a 20 per cent increase in conversions.
You can pre-program responses, which is time-effective, or engage in a real conversation that appeals to consumers who value human interactions. Webchat ensures you don’t lose a potential sale because they can’t find the product or information they’re looking for. Then there’s Google Analytics, a free tool that analyses your visitors and provides key insights that you can use to improve conversions. For example, if you can see that people regularly abandon their cart, improve your checkout process.
Convenience, convenience, convenience
Quality rather than quantity drives sales. So, don’t hurt your targets by misunderstanding what shoppers want. Podium’s Business-to-Customer Communication Report revealed that almost half of Aussies have deleted a brand’s email without opening it in the last 24 hours, and 63 per cent prefer SMS communications due to the convenience. For businesses getting it wrong, there are consequences. And 73 per cent of Aussies blacklist businesses that spam them with inconvenient marketing.
SMS is not only better for them but also better for you. SMS has a 98 per cent open rate and a 45 per cent click-through rate. So, use text campaigns to connect with customers, send personalised offers, and target customers with deals based on their loyalty and preferences. This boosts sales, as does a seamless checkout process. A quarter of consumers abandon a sale if their primary payment method wasn’t offered and 41 per cent say payment flexibility is a key consideration when choosing a business. So, don’t let this final stage hurt your sales targets.
A small budget doesn’t have to come at the expense of success for your local retail business this summer sales season. Aussies love supporting local. Through reviews, an optimised website and a focus on convenience at every interaction, you’ll give them every reason to shop with your local business.
