The COVID-19 pandemic has been undeniably hard on retailers, but with the roadmap out of lockdown going smoothly so far, there’s not long to go until shops are allowed to open their doors once more.
With the date fast approaching, you’re probably in the midst of preparing for your store’s re-opening. And as you’re likely to have lost out on money over the past year, your priority is likely to be along the lines of having an opening as smooth as possible so that your business comes back with a bang. Here’s how you can best prepare your retail store for the big re-opening:
Continue To Follow COVID-19 Guidelines
While you’re probably ready to kiss goodbye to lockdown for good, you still need to make sure that your store is implementing the current lockdown guidelines until these are officially lifted. What’s more, many customers will want to feel safe from the virus while out shopping, so a store that is clearly following the lockdown guidelines is likely to attract more customers.
A hand sanitizing station by the doors encourages customers to clean their hands before entering, while you could make use of floor stickers or signs to guide people around your shop. Changing rooms should not be open for use, and you should make sure to clean and sanitise all areas of your store throughout the day.
Get Creative With Your Displays
You’re probably looking to make some quick sales once your store is officially back open again, and one of the best ways to do so is with eye catching displays. Since your employees are likely to be off work at the minute, they’ll have more time than ever to come up with creative and imaginative window displays for the shop front.
Displays that are brightly coloured and create movement always go down a treat, and make sure that your lighting is up to scratch. Dull, broken or incorrect lighting in your store will not catch the attention of your customer, so it’s important that you’re using only the best.
Lighting shops like Any Lamp offer a range of different gu10 LED spotlight bulbs that are perfect for using to light up store displays. GU10 LED bulbs are mostly used as accent lighting because of the wide choice of beam angles. What’s more, this type of lighting is energy efficient and long-lasting- so you know that you’ll be saving money in the long run.
Market Your Store Online
While lots of people are still off work, now has never been a better time to use social media to your benefit. It’s likely that people are going to be spending a lot more time on their phones, so make sure you’re posting regularly on social media, using the relevant hashtags to get your business seen.
You could also use this time to come up with some offers or promotions that encourage people to visit your store once you’re open. The more reasons you give someone to shop at your store, the better!
