Summer is officially here, school is out, and the weather is perfect. For your business, however, things might be feeling a little slower than usual. Warm weather and long days mean that prospective and former customers are out enjoying the sunshine, having new adventures, and getting out of their normal routines. Vacations are common; so are weddings, outings, and weekend getaways.
Of course, all of this is good news – everyone should be making the most of the summer. But that doesn’t mean your business needs to suffer in the meantime. Here are four ways to spruce up your customer retention programs during the summer months!
Don't Be So Shallow - Tout Experience Over Things
Summer is a time when people are more interested in pursuing experiences over things. Rather than spending time indoors shopping online or compiling wish lists, they’re planning trips, getting outside, and making great memories. But experiences and things don’t have to be so incompatible; in fact, they go hand in hand. This summer, harness that enthusiasm for experiences by engaging with your audience on their level. You could offer fun challenges and contests that encourage customers to be active, document their experiences, or get outside. You could even host promotional events.
Perhaps most importantly, make sure your online marketing and branding fits in with this idea of experiences over tangible items. Rather than focusing on what your product or service is, focus on the experience it offers and how it enhances a customer’s lifestyle. Emphasize how it will improve their life, whether that is allowing buyers to spend more time doing what they love or helping them be more on-trend this summer.
Go On An Adventure With Your Customers - Improve Your Mobile Usability
With customers being on the go all summer long, they’re much less likely to be sitting in their stuffy homes getting more heat from the desktop computer. Take this time to improve your mobile usability so consumers can easily navigate your website when they’re away from their computer. Ensuring a simple and beautiful user experience on mobile is an important step in retaining more customers during summer. If your site works well on desktop but badly or slowly on mobile, users are likely to leave your site before they have the chance to purchase anything.
Don’t Take the Summer Off - Be Active on Social Media
People still love social media in the summer, particularly platforms where they can check into locations, share images, and boast experiences. This is a great time for your business to be active on social media. You can engage with customers directly, share visually appealing seasonal content, run advertising campaigns, and even enable shopping capabilities. Social media is also a great place to run fun promotions and cash in on the resulting user-generated content.
Stay Cool During the Summer - Consider Seasonal Branding
For purely visual allure, consider temporarily updating your branding for the summer months. On your website or catalog, select themes in bright, energetic colors and freshen up your branding. Use eye-catching palettes, calls to action, and upbeat wording to keep spirits high and capitalize on the lighthearted ambiance of the season.
Summer may be a slow time for e-commerce, but it doesn’t have to be tough or stressful. Taking a fresh approach to your strategy can help you make this season a success and keep customers engaged. With a little extra planning, you can ensure this summer is relaxed and enjoyable for you and your business – just as it should be.
If business is slow this summer, it may be a good time to research alternative shipping methods to save money. Take a look a SmartePost, a shipping offer designed for eCommerce businesses in mind. Contact us today for more shipping and customer centric solutions.
