How to Keep Sales Going During COVID-19 Pandemic

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

HOW TO KEEP GETTING SALES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC The shutting down of businesses due to the Corona virus outbreak obviously has a trickle down effect. If your buyers are not working, then non-essential purchases are typically the first things they have to stop buying.

Therefore, if you have an online shop, you might be wondering how to keep your business afloat, and I have a few suggestions.

Upcoming Buying Occasions

Mother’s Day is May 10th, and you can likely assume that most people will still be buying Mother’s Day gifts, however, they may just not spend as much as they normally do.
Father’s Day is June 21st, and it will likely be the same situation as above.
April, May and June are graduation months, and people are still going to be buying grad gifts, again, maybe just not spending as much. If graduations end up being delayed until the fall, however, then they may wait until then to purchase the gift.
People will still be having birthdays (but maybe not parties), anniversaries and having babies (but maybe not showers), so their friends and family will still be getting them gifts.
People will still get married, they may just not have a big celebration or they might postpone it until fall. However, their friends and family will still buy them wedding gifts.

What Your Shop Can Do

Consider making significant sales offers for the occasions above, particularly on volume orders i.e. Buy any 2 items, get 25% off.
If you haven’t been targeting some of the gift buyers above, consider adding in products that would be applicable.
Consider adding a lower-priced product line into your shop, to target those buyers who have had their income reduced.
Email your previous customers with a special offer for their loyalty.
Start using the #ShopSmallBusiness hashtag on social media to remind people that businesses like yours need their shopping dollars.
I posted an interesting stat on my Instagram today about how long the coronavirus lives on certain surfaces. Maybe you wish to alleviate any customer fears by outlining your sanitation and safety procedures, to reduce the fear of buying.

Other Opportunities

With school possibly cancelled for the rest of the school year, parents will want educational items and craft kits to keep kids busy.
Depending on when the quarantine ends, people will likely not be travelling much internationally or might just forgo the summer vacation altogether. Therefore, they might take those vacation funds and put them into sprucing up their outdoor space, especially since they have been stuck inside.
Try to think of quirky new sales opportunities, such as End of Quarantine Party supplies or t-shirts.
A few weeks back I wrote about 8 Upcoming Publicity Opportunities for Your Business and two really apply to the current situation. So contact your local media – who wants to support you now more than ever – to get your business publicity for National Handmade Day (April 4th) and National Small Business Week (May 3-9). Here is an example of a Denver Magazine who ran an article promoting 10 Local Etsy Shops.

Hang in there everyone.