In the blink of an eye, the world has changed. It’s not just our personal lives that have been affected, but how we conduct business day-to-day as well.
We are all being impacted the same way across the globe, for most of us, the first time in our lives. You as well as us here at Kelly Point of Sale, Inc., have probably been asking the question, “So, what does this mean for us and our business?” We like to be optimistic during adverse times. So, as difficult as this pandemic may be, we feel this is a time where you can create an extreme sense of brand loyalty by showing up in unexpected ways to add value and a sense of identity with you and your customers. This is a time to be thoughtfully & empathetically engaged through all social channels. This can be done by having engaging contests or freebies to customers you see engaging or using your product or service. For the most part, we’re all at home. This is how life will continue to remain as the public warms up to the idea of becoming more social after orders begin to be lifted. Ultimately, what you should be asking yourself is how can my product or service show up in ways that will add value to consumers while in quarantine? The goal is to leave a lasting impression well after the quarantine orders have been lifted with the purpose of added value, not profits. This mentality should have already been at the core of your business, however, it’s never too late to change.
The other question to be asked is how to increase store foot traffic. This must be done very carefully. Customers will want to feel safe while shopping or while on-premise. This could be done through providing roadside signage alerting passerby’s that you’re open for business. You could have yard signs at intersections with directional arrows to your business. Okay, so your customer now knows that you’re open, how to get there, and that it’s safe to visit; Now what? Next is to provide guidance. How should your customers enter? How many can come in at once? All of this is related to your “flow” and will be different for each type of business. This is what we like to call the “POS FLOW” or Point of Sale Flow. This can be achieved through creating and providing your business guidelines on adhesive window clings, banners, or directional foot graphics to help control the Flow.
Another method of engaging with your customers, for example, if you’re a business that has been deemed as non-essential (i.e. Barber Shops) this is your time to shine in new areas. You could use this time to create a Youtube channel or just upload short tutorials on different at-home techniques. You have to keep in mind that everyone is at home and it may even seem like a bad idea to teach someone how to do it themselves when that’s your business. You have to see it as value creation which would be 10x in the long run. You would be creating continued engagement as well as increasing your brand loyalty.
I hope this post has brought some value to you and your business as we continue to tread these uncharted waters. As a small business ourselves we hope you’ll be open to sharing this info in hopes to help others. We are all in this together. Stay safe out there.
Best Regards,
Logan M. Kelly
VP of Sales & Marketing