Convenience stores are a thriving business all over the globe. Convenience stores are, in fact, a $616 billion industry in the United States alone. Many families make their primary income off of their operation.
Of the different seasons of operation, summer is clearly the busiest for convenience stores. If you own or operate a convenience store, you need to do what you can to prepare for summer so you can maximize your profits. With that in mind, below are four strategies you can implement to prepare your store for the summer season.
Plan Your Summer Inventory
Certain items sell better in the summer than during other months. One of these would certainly be ice cream. If your selection for ice cream is rather meager, you could be missing out on a lot of potential income. Consider other seasonal items that will sell better during the scorching days of summer, like lemonade, sunscreen, or even beach towels.
Plan Summer Product Placement
It’s not simply good enough to have summer items stocked in your convenience store. To truly maximize profit, you also need to be strategic about where you place those items in your store. If the ice cream is placed all the way in the back, you may not be making as much money as you could. Instead, also consider options like placing a mobile cooler of ice cream near the check-out counter.
Plan Summer Marketing Campaigns
Although convenience stores do rely mostly on convenience as marketing, you can’t ignore the positive effect that advertising can have for your business. If you have the best deal on certain summer items like ice cream or lemonade, certainly try to inform consumers of that fact. Doing so can greatly increase traffic to your store.
Perform Summer Store Maintenance
There will also be a number of different maintenance tasks that need to be completed to prepare your convenience store’s different systems for the summer season. This certainly includes air conditioner maintenance. If your store isn’t cool, people won’t stay inside long enough to buy anything. If your air conditioner is old and not working properly despite proper maintenance, don’t be afraid to acquire a new one from a company like MTA Australasia.
Summer is a big time for business. This is especially the case for convenience stores. There’s a chance to make a lot of money. Do not squander this opportunity by not taking the proper steps to prepare your store for the summer season.
Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks in the park with her three-year-old husky, Snowball.
