If you are lucky enough to be in a part of the country that isn’t buried in snow, and you’re experiencing spring weather, why not capitalize on your weather fortune? Many southern locales are winter destinations for snowbirds. Lovely weather and lots of out of town visitors are a perfect combination for a successful Sidewalk Sale. Sidewalk Sales don’t have to be huge. They should be neat, clean, and preferably focused on a specific category of product. When selecting product to place out in front of your store, make sure you pick something seasonal or something on a big promotion.
Your sidewalk sale items should draw customers in and make them want to continue to look around your store. Put your most outgoing team member on the sidewalk to engage the customers and highlight the bargains. Feature additional seasonal items near the front of your store and throughout to continue to spark interest and draw customers inside. Layer on top of this a “breadcrumb trail” of discounted items leading the customers to new/higher margin merchandise inside the store.
Feature bold, bright colors out on the sidewalk and in the front of the store to grab the attention of passersby. Use brightly colored chalk on the sidewalk to create eye-catching graphics and promotional messages. Use the chalk to advertise your Sidewalk Sale a week or so ahead of time – maybe do a countdown to sale day as a means of creating anticipation for the event.
Most of all, have fun with it! Here’s an idea – Easter comes late this year (April 20th) but Easter-themed Sidewalk Sale could help you move your date specific merchandise earlier and thus require less in markdowns after the holiday. Happy Sidewalk Selling!!
