Droitwich currently seeks to capitalise on the swing in trends from the preference of super stores to smaller and independent shops. Over the last few years, in particular, customers across the UK have increasingly sought out local stores to get their products over major chains or big brands.
Now, with the Droitwich Business Association founded, local entrepreneurs have a bit more backing in the form of expertise and ideas to help grow their own businesses and the business environment of the local area. Co-chair of the DBA, John Hamilton, was recently quoted by this publication as saying, “we can’t control what businesses come to town… we need to make sure Droitwich is attractive to invest in.”
One of the best ways to achieve this is to provide proof that small and independent businesses can thrive in Droitwich. In modern terms, this does require a bit of reaching out, particularly to a nationwide customer base, but doing this can both advertise the area and keep the independent aesthetic desired by today’s customers. Here are some ideas to help with all of these angles.
A website that emulates the business and Droitwich
Key to drawing in customers nationwide is having a slick and eye-catching website. One of the ways that you can easily portray the independent store angle and the attraction of Droitwich is to make your physical store the centrepiece of the imagery on the site, and then build out per your mantra and key selling points. One site that does this very, very well is Terre Bleu, as you can see here.
A store in Ontario, the site immediately walks you into their Lavender Wonder Wall, with the whole feeling being very personal and unique, and acts as an excellent advertisement for the area. Spruce up your store’s exterior and interior, and then use photos of it around your website. It’ll be eye-catching for your store and demonstrate how idyllic your nook in Droitwich is.
Reach the nation by giving them what they want
Unfortunately, Amazon is a thing and it’s very popular. The subscription to Prime to get next-day delivery on almost any purchase has resonated so well that online shoppers just expect free
delivery and shudder at the thought of actually paying for the convenience of moving an item across the country to their doorsteps.
However, offering free delivery simply isn’t viable for most businesses – especially small and independent ones. There is a way around this, though, that can also boost sales in the process. As can be seen put in practice on this shipping costs page from Goblin Gaming, setting a bar for free delivery is the key. You can offer next-day options and the real prices that come with them, or free shipping as long as the customer spends at least a set amount.
Announce yourself with an offer they can’t refuse
A quick way to drum up some attention online, especially if you utilise social media platforms, is to run a promotion for new customers. It’s a tried and trusted practice at supermarkets in the form of free samples, but the masters of this art online are the iGaming platforms.
In this handy article on new sites, it’s clear to see that each of them wants to grab your attention with what essentially boils down to free samples of their services. One of the top new online casinos listed offers 88 no-deposit free spins. This bucks the norm incredibly because it doesn’t require a deposit to claim and offers a count of free spins that exceeds the offers of its peers. Offers for newcomers, from vouchers to samples, always go down well.
Getting online with a presentable and personable website is the first step to growing your customer base and subtly advertising your store in the local area. From there, find the perks for online customers that suit your business to get a strong footing nationwide while remaining independent.
