If you are tired of losing customers to the giant grocery chains in town then it is time to do something about it. You need to update your store and consider the needs of those around you. If you become more visible and specialized then you will gain some new customers. When you had the only market for miles you could sell a little of everything, now that those big guys have moved in you need to become more boutique like. And then you have to let everyone know.
When you walk through those huge chain grocers you see how many things they offer. They offer your basic one-stop shopping. If you get most of your things there they figure you will settle for items they don’t have. A whole lot of people appreciate those oddball items that the big stores don’t bother with. There are many companies that make small batches of items that can’t be bought in bulk. Some of those are probably made in your city.
There are tons of small companies that have wonderful handmade and organic products. If you can find these local that is something to do and to show off as well. You may be able to find simple things like organic milk and fresh eggs locally. There may be goat farms nearby that make some very nice cheeses. Make sure you stick with your big sellers. You don’t want to change things that work. A good way to show people that you are changing some things for the better is to update your exterior. Clean it up and make it more inviting.
You want to give your store a cleaned up exterior and add some promotional products to the inventory. If you have space make your exterior more friendly. Put out some benches and large pots for annual flowers. Have your employees start wearing promotional shirts, hands, aprons or whatever you want. Offer those items for sale too. Add some other items that bear your logo as well.
While you are updating your products you should do the same with services too. Consider doing local deliveries to customers. If you have regular customers then you would do well with a delivery service. Some people are just too busy to worry about stopping and shopping. They would be so happy about this. You can put magnetic fliers on peoples mailboxes with your new products and services. They will stick to the outside of the mailbox and then on your customer’s refrigerator.
