As the temperatures begin to rise & the festive season quickly approaches we thought to share a blog we found online at Forbes. This blog captures 13 excellent summer marketing tips to "heat up sales" this coming season.

"Here are 13 (mostly) low-cost ideas to bring buyers back into your store

1. Host a summer event. Just as friends host barbeques and pool parties, come up with your own in-store promotion to give shoppers a reason to stop by. You might schedule an in-store demonstration by one of your suppliers, set up a silent auction to benefit an area charity, or give prizes to the first 25 attendees through the door, for example. Serve lemonade and crank up your air conditioning to keep shoppers comfortable and lingering longer by your merchandise.

2. Reward your travelling customers. Incentivize your customers to talk about you on social media. Offer a decent discount coupon if they share a photo of themselves on summer vacation wearing or using one of your products and tag you in the photo. Images always attract more attention, so you can gain followers by encouraging your customers to talk about you online.

3. Take the time to say thank you. During slow periods, take a few minutes to hand write a heartfelt thank you note to mail to your customers. Letter writing is so rare these days that you’ll definitely get their attention. Thank them for supporting your business – nothing else. Don’t make it a promotional message, just sincere appreciation. Not only will this deepen your relationship with your customers but it may also spur them to stop by and shop with you again.

4. Hold a closet sale via Facebook Live. Even if customers aren’t walking in your door, you can reach them at home or the office using Facebook Live. Announce a date and time for a sale and then spend 30-60 minutes selling off new inventory and leftovers. Invite all your social media followers to join you. Darlene of Suits, Heels and Curves and Sandra of La Precosa Preciosa hold regular closet sales at their Facebook group, Blogger House Curvy Closet Group, to clear out clothing, shoes and accessories they’ve amassed as part of their plus-sized blogging work. Not only are they making space for new inventory and generating sales, but their social media followers are also consistently growing

5. Partner with a complementary business and co-promote a sale. Pick a retailer that is geographically close to you or that serves the same audience and create a combined sale, event, or simply join forces on a mailing to both your customer lists. Offer a discount for shopping at your partner store, just as they offer a discount to their customers to shop at yours.

6. Create or stock a limited edition product for the summer. Take Starbucks’ Lilly Pulitzer water bottles as an example. The bottles flew off the shelves as soon as they were available this past spring. While you may not be able to partner with Lilly Pulitzer for your own special product, you can certainly design something through CafePress or Vistaprint that will appeal to your shoppers. Or have a contest and ask your customers to submit designs to be featured on limited edition merchandise

7. Conduct an in-store class to draw buyers in. Brainstorm activities your shoppers might be interested in, and that you have space for and then announce one or even a series of one-hour classes. A sewing shop might have quick crafts classes like Michaels does. A bookstore could have a journal-making workshop. A wine shop could have a course on wine pairing

8. Launch a loyalty program for the summer. From now until Labor Day, invite shoppers to sign up for a program that rewards them for shopping with you. You could give a percentage off after they spend a certain amount, which you track, or after a certain number of store visit.

9. Push your store outside. Catch shoppers’ eyes by setting up display tables or racks out in front of your store, if you have space on the sidewalk. Consider having a special sale section and note the bargain prices in big, bold numbers.

10. Make a bundle. Everyone loves a bargain, so consider pairing a number of related products in a box or bag bundle at a special price. Stores like The Body Shop and Bath and Body Works offer holiday bundles of several products in a bag at a discounted price if the customer spends a certain amount

11. Hold a contest. Everyone loves the prospect of getting something for free, so create an opportunity for a customer to win big in your store. You could set up a simple raffle, asking simply for names and phone numbers and place them in a big fish bowl. Or you could host it online, asking shoppers to share a specific Facebook message or tweet with others in order to qualify, or even ask shoppers to tell you in a certain number of words what they love about summer. Keep it easy to enter and fun and you’ll connect with new customers and reconnect with current shoppers

12. Pursue local publicity. Lean on your local media for help in promoting your store. That means providing them with information that will be of interest to their readers or listeners. So send out press releases containing tips related to your products and services, for example, announce any industry honors or awards you’ve won, ask for upcoming events to be added to the community calendar, or make contact with the reporter who covers retailers and ask how you might partner on a future story

13. Go to where your customers are. Many cities host summer festivals, markets, or events where local retailers can set up booths or tents to sell their wares. If there’s an upcoming event in your town or neighborhood that would be a fit for your business, ask how you might be included. View it as a way to make potential customers aware of your store and your products and services.

The good news about summer is the most people have more free time to shop. So it make it worth their while to come into your store during the next few months."

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marciaturner/2017/06/30/13-summer-retail-marketing-tips-to-heat-up-sales/#413ac1db463b

Be in contact with the team at Surestyle in regards to your summer retail requirements.