How Do I Get People to Come Out in the Cold to Shop?

Q: The recent cold snap has really taken the momentum out of my business. I’ve already marked down for January — what more can I do to get people to come out into the cold and start shopping again?

A: Great question, but unfortunately I don’t have a great answer. The frigid cold weather will keep customers out of the stores initially, but over time they will come back.

Here’s an idea: have a party and make it fun. Make fake snowballs that include additional % off coupons for them to throw. This cold streak may be hard to overcome in the short run so use the time to plan your buys for next season. Scrutinize your vendor structure and plan to have less inventory carried over at the end of the next holiday season. Spend time qualifying your email marketing list and think of this as a time to regroup for growth later on. Sometimes retailing is like farming in that it is a bit out of our control.