5 ways to succeed on the hottest day of the year

We know you don’t come to Better Retailing for the weather, but with today being the hottest day of the year (so far!), there is a huge opportunity for your store.

With temperatures climbing to 33°c, there will be a lot of parched, irritable and sweaty shoppers across the country today and you can be their salvation. Follow these five tips to increase your sales and tweet us with the #CreateMySummer hashtag.

1. Make your ice cream unmissable.

Whether you use PoS or move the freezer in time for the school rush, making ice cream more visible is the best way to sell it. “We move the ice cream freezer outside the store on warm and sunny days. We sell so much more as a result,” says Gwenda Parry, who runs Rhen Fecws, in Moelfre, Anglesey.

• Find out more: How to make the most of your summer ice cream sales.

2. Make your chillers work for you.

Put different formats of soft drinks including single bottles and multipacks in the chiller. Chilled wine and cider is also important for customers winding down from the hot commute from work. Research conducted by Blue Yonder found that more than 80% of millennials are happy to pay more for cold drinks and ice cream during a heatwave, compared to 40% of customers older than 55.

• Learn how to get the best out of soft drinks this summer.

3. Run one day promotions on summery products.

Giving your customers great value on chilled soft drinks, ciders and ice cream can ensure that those products act as footfall drivers. Take a photo and tweet the deals to your customers to encourage them to flock to your store.

4. Make your store a comfortable place to be.

Shoppers will stay longer in your store if it’s a pleasant place to be and if they stay longer, they are likely to spend more. Ramp up the air conditioning or get some fans to circulate the air – your customers and staff will thank you for it. The Trades Union Congress says staff should be allowed to work flexible hours and dress more casually in hot weather.

5. Water. Water. Water.

“Summer for me is about water, water and water. Not just drinking water, but water bombs, water guns and water in our slushie machine,” says Raaj Chandarana of Tara’s News (Premier) in High Wycombe. As well as selling water, putting some water out in plastic cups on the till is a great way to show your customers you care.

For more great summer ideas, visit our Create Your Own Summer wall of ideas.