Everyone and every business had a challenging year last year, and those struggles have continued into 2021. As we move further into the new year, businesses are looking for ways to bounce back and have a good 2021 despite the trials and tribulations of last year. Increasing sales means increasing profits and counterbalancing the weight of last year.
Every small business is different, but they tend to share the same goals. Small businesses have the most complex challenge of fighting to survive without the vault of resources larger companies enjoy, but there are many ways small businesses can stay afloat and increase sales this year. Some of the methods to increase sales might not be what worked two years ago, but the combination of last year and this year means new and creative approaches are required. Below are just a few ways small businesses can use technology and new methods to increase sales in 2021.
Adapt To Changes
Small businesses might have had a successful mode of operations roughly two years ago, but some of those methods simply won’t work in today’s world. Small businesses tend to be more risk-averse than larger companies because they have a much smaller safety net should a risk turn out badly. Changing established practices and methods is scary for a small team that can’t afford to miss. However, a small business must adapt to changes in the market or risk stagnation. Look at how customer trends have changed over the past year to see if there are any prominent areas where you could expand or adapt to serve customers better. Change may be intimidating, but if you make smart changes, you are making the best choice for your businesses based on your best data and information.
Shipping Can Be A Deal Breaker
More people than ever before ordered things online and had them shipped to their homes last year. Ordering items online and having them arrive as if by magic is a fantastic convenience, but the cost of shipping is often what causes a customer to cancel an order. Small business shipping can be tricky to nail down, but it is worth trying to lower shipping costs for customers, so fewer people abandon their cart at the shipping stage. If you can’t lower shipping costs, try to give customers multiple shipping options. Some customers will gladly take a slower shipping speed for a lower price, but don’t make that choice for them.
New Attractions
It can be hard to get customers to come back for the same thing repeatedly, especially given how much things have changed in the past year. You may not have new products, but you can make new ways to sell your established products. Think about ways to group smaller items together to make a bundle deal or let customers choose from a list of items to make a package. Sales and promotions are a great way to bring in interest and sales, but be careful not to make the deals too good, or you may end up with a net neutral result by the end.
New Platforms For A Bigger Audience
Some small businesses lead the way and create methods to use new technology to better a business, but not all small businesses agree that technology is the way forward. However, the debate about whether social media and mobile platforms help businesses gain exposure is long over. The Internet has only continued to expand and last year forced more people online than ever before. Social media continues to be a central hub of societal activity, and there are more mobile users than desktop users at this point. Small businesses cannot afford to ignore social media and mobile users anymore. The first priority is getting a version of your website and store to work comfortably on mobile screens; then, you can work on mobile targeted ads and social media presence to draw more people in.
Everyone is facing a strenuous climb to recoup from last year, but small businesses are the group that needs to succeed the most to stay in business. Making changes to adapt to the latest market and customer trends can be scary, but if you make the best decisions based on available information, you are making the best choice you can for your business. Find ways to make shipping a less common deal-breaker for customers, combine products for bundle sales or promotions, and embrace new platforms and technology to gain a bigger audience.
