Each year we long for a break from the summer heat — and yet fall still seems to sneak up on many of us.
As cooler temperatures roll in and people start to spend more time outside in the crisp fall weather, casual retailers have the perfect chance to bring in customers with community-based events that can build brand recognition and offer people in the local area a fun activity.
Here are a few ideas:
- Host creative, fun events year-round and cater them to the seasons
With nighttime temperatures getting lower each day, buy a giant screen and host a kid-friendly movie night using your outdoor furniture as the seating. Serve popcorn and candy for the kids, and alcohol for the adults, and make it a fun family night out.
Set up an outdoor tailgate area with grills, outdoor furniture, a big screen and plenty of drinks, and get football season started the right way with your community. Offer fun activities and games, or even host a grill-off and serve the food to attendees. To keep people coming in, create a fantasy football game and offer weekly prizes to be collected in-store.
How about a girl’s night out? Provide wine, a charcuterie board and trivia while lounging on comfortable outdoor furniture. Or for the guys, a barbecue and a cornhole competition. The winner gets a gift card to the store, which encourages a purchase. - Halloween spirit
Halloween will be here before we know it, and in the spirit of the holiday, let your community know that you’ll be handing out candy and discounts for all customers who shop in a costume.
This is also a perfect opportunity to offer your store as a place where parents can bring children with special needs. Parents of special needs children, or children with allergies who can’t eat certain candy, look for locations advertising teal pumpkins for alternatives to traditional candy — whether that’s toys, snacks or anything else you can think up. - Start a monthly customer appreciation day
Do you love Wednesdays? Or, maybe business is slow on Mondays and you want to drive traffic then. Host a monthly or weekly event that the community can come to expect. This not only gets people in the door and thinking about outdoor furniture, but you can also partner with local vendors (i.e. food trucks, boutique merchants, etc.) to create a special event for the whole community.
Fall weather presents a perfect opportunity to throw outdoor events and showcase the products you have in an environment where people can touch and feel them while also relaxing and enjoying the experience.
