Polls will tell you most people support shop local, in theory, but in reality there are a lot of hurtles to getting people to do shop in your local stores on a regular basis. Many of these hurtles involve preconceptions people have about local stores. Don’t ignore them. Take the concepts on and talk about them in your marketing, don’t assume (or hope) no one will notice or bring them up. Here are a few suggestions on how you might address the elephant in the room:
Limited Hours
Not so much a preconception as a truth for many small merchants, but local shops don’t keep the hours of big box stores. It’s not cost effective for them since most people assume they’re closed past six and don’t open until 10. Whatever the hours of the businesses in your town, make sure they are well publicized. No one will make a special trip to a store if they think there’s the possibility it will be closed.
Limited Stock
Many people think big box stores have greater selections than local stores. This is probably true but what local stores offer is unique and special. If you’re marketing a local store make sure you share its treasures with people online. This will bring in customers. You’ll still get the Saturday strollers who enjoy the exploration as much as the purchase, but if people have an idea of exactly what you have, you’ll also attract those shoppers with an agenda as well.
If there’s a special holiday coming up make sure you showcase some of the items that will make nice teachers gifts or Valentine’s Day gifts, for instance. Take the guess work out of buying the perfect gift. Adding this content to your website and sharing it will also help you place higher for those specialty searches around that time of year. You’d be surprised how many people Google gift ideas.
No Options
People are hesitant to give local gift certificates for a particular store unless they know the recipient loves the store. But gift certificates are so convenient for the gift giver. You can tie in a wide-variety of choices with the convenience of a gift certificate by instituting a local gift certificate program. That way the recipient is not limited to using it at one store. It’s accepted at all participating merchants.
What are some of the marketing struggles you’ve overcome in your shop local campaign?
