SALES & MARKETING
A Tale of Two Cities … and Two Shops Out to Beat the Post-Christmas Lull Ocala Car Audio and 604 Autosound use heavy doses of social media to extend heightened sales numbers well past the holidays and into tax time By Ryan Gray
In a retail business world where social media rules and sales closing techniques have been refined to an art form, you’d think retail shops would have no problem stretching the holiday sales spike all the way to the summer selling season. Or is that a pipe dream?
The economic downturn hit everyone hard, especially mobile electronics retailers. But in reality, most businesses had al- ready been experiencing a squeeze on profit margins courtesy of product commoditization and competition against the nation- al chains. So, some shops across North America are creating their own stimulus plans by employing some simple, fun and team-building tactics to boost sales numbers.
FOLLOW THE CROWD, LEAD THE PACK Parish Tanner, co-owner of Ocala Car Audio south of Gaines-
ville, Fla., uses the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January as a gauge for what he should be focusing on in his store. He picks up a few display ideas based on exhibitor booth displays as well. This year, Ocala is featuring collision avoid- ance products such as back-up cameras and sensors, hot commodities at this past CES, and targeting much of his mar- keting activity toward “soccer moms.” Sales reps remain in contact with customers to gauge their satisfaction with purchases, a good technique for any retailer. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The shop is also harness- ing the power of the Internet, and reviews from sites like Yelp! and Google have played a large role. The Ocala sales team makes it a practice to encourage happy customers to post posi- tive service experience reviews online. “It’s amazing how many more customers come in based on positive reviews,” said Tanner. “That’s one thing I’ve found that has really helped us.”
MAXED-OUT ON FACEBOOK Craigslist and Facebook figure heavily in the shop’s online
efforts. Tanner regularly posts specials on Craigslist to catch bargain hunters, and promotes in-store giveaways and contests on the store’s Facebook page, with the goal of getting custom- ers in to create add-on sales opportunities. “Last winter, we ran an online contest for free speakers,” he explained. “When the winner came in to pick up the prize, we ended up adding on a new amp and accessories.” Another cool feature Ocala is taking advantage of is Face- book Check-In. For example, the first three customers to update
40 Mobile Electronics February | March 2011
their online profile when visiting the store get a free T-shirt. The shop also uses Facebook to send direct messages to the nearly 1,000 customers who “like” the shop’s page to answer product questions. Of course, real-world marketing is important, too. Tanner
partners with other local businesses to do cross promo- tions, netting new customers from the neighborhood. He even goes beyond his own domain to build recognition for himself and his store by writing articles for online and print publications. And as a culmination to his “no-lull” marketing plan, Tanner plans to take advantage of tax (return) season by eating the sales tax on in-store purchases.
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