OPINION: Seasonal tactics to help raise sales

Mother’s Day, Easter and the warmer weather means the store is a little brighter and so are our tactics to attract customers.

Mother’s Day meant that the store entrance was full of flowers, but customers still walked straight past to ask if we sold them! Nevertheless, the bright colours still attract shoppers and this year we sold Mother’s Day strawberries.

We sold out completely of a pretty box of fruit tied with a ribbon. I checked the multiples nearby and no one else was selling them.

Customers have been pretty price-savvy this year. They would come in on the Saturday to compare prices with other stores, and then they came back on the Sunday to buy the chocolates or cards.

We’ve finally got one up on the multiples. Easter will be a different issue though, as we can’t beat their prices on Easter eggs and we just sell them to show we’re paying attention to the seasons, and only ever buy what we need.

Over the years we’ve had to reduce our flower sales too. We used to sell racks and racks, but now we only stock a few bunches and increase our stock for the appropriate season.

I’m not quite sure why sales have declined, but at least I know our compost sales are strong. We’re lucky because we have an allotment next door, and now we’re just preparing for the green season.