Enforced community quarantine from the virus’ threat has made people wary of going outside and buying at brick-and-mortar shops. Consequently, sales from online shops have skyrocketed, and by the looks of it, sales won’t slow down anytime soon. Thus, as a small business owner, you should capitalize on this by selling your goods online. Best of all, online selling doesn’t discriminate—even if you only own a gift shop that primarily sells souvenirs, you can find your target demographic online. Listed below are three key points you can do right now to boost your sales and increase tourist traffic for your business.
Embrace Online Selling
One surefire way to increase sales during this pandemic is through online shops. Start by planning out a suitable eCommerce strategy for your business. Souvenir shops, for example, can market to would-be tourists online by selling local products that are otherwise unavailable online. Trinkets such as key chains, postcards, and handcrafted souvenirs can garner a wide array of audiences online. Plus, if you want to add your own local flair, you can include freebies that people can’t buy anywhere else, such as sand from the local beach suspended by resin in a tiny bottle.
Offer Virtual Tours
If your business is all about touring guests to the local wonders of nature, consider doing virtual tours instead of waiting for the airport gates to open. Virtual tours’ stigma from being a fad for tourism has vanished ever since community quarantine was placed. In fact, Germany has spearheaded many virtual tours for their famous travel destinations. Hence, capitalizing on virtual tours is perfect for a touring business.
It’s never too late to start offering virtual tours as a medium to earn from tourism, despite travel restrictions. However, virtual tours are hard to pull off right off the bat. You need to have a charming narrator, proper camera gear, and a reliable internet connection. Furthermore, virtual tours need to be engaging for online audiences and interesting enough to keep tourists at the edge of their seats.
Emphasize Your Business’ Hygiene Protocol
Shops from all industries are now highlighting their hygiene efforts under this quarantine. Since tourists are wary of their safety when traveling, it’s best to let your customers know they’re safe by implementing recommended protocols from your local government. In addition, countries are now closing down shops that don’t mandate people to wear masks and sanitizing their hands before entering the shop. By highlighting your hygiene initiative, you can ensure tourists that your store is doing its best to stave away the COVID-19 virus.
Create an Online Presence
The closure of travel agencies worldwide because of the pandemic has drastic effects on businesses reliant on tourism. Income from tourist destinations is also experiencing a rapid decline. The pandemic had surely hit us hard last year, but that doesn’t mean we are out of options in increasing sales. Businesses, mainly gift shops, can target customers through digital marketing. The importance of shops creating an online presence is at an all-time high in this digital age, especially nowadays since everyone’s stuck at home looking at their phones or computers.
Content Marketing
If you have already established a strong content marketing strategy before the pandemic hit, then you’re on the right track. Content marketing is essentially a marketing strategy that aims to distribute quality content that promotes your website and business. This approach to advertising aims to deliver valuable, relevant, and engaging content to existing and potential customers. Plus, content marketing targets your business’ target demographic while developing relationships with them. This strategy is essential to business owners, even if there isn’t a pandemic looming over our heads. By successfully marketing your business, you can garner tourist attraction and gain traffic once the quarantine lifts. After all, if they’re aware of your shop way before their trip, you essentially have it in the bag.
Gain Exposure from Locals
Tourism marketing doesn’t stop when foreigners don’t travel to your country. It continues to prosper even with locals. Hence, it’s best to market your business locally first since most domestic flights are now open. Airline companies are offering discounted domestic travel to boost flight sales. That’s why you should capitalize on gaining exposure from locals first. You can do this by providing local promos such as a 20% discount if the customer has a medical license.
Whether your business’ profit comes from tourists or locals, one thing remains the same—people will go to your shop if you offer unique products and thrilling experiences. It’s up to you to create new strategies to let your business thrive this pandemic.