Keeping your doors open is crucial for brick and mortar shops. You rely on customer walk-ins, and foot traffic to convert to sales. But with the pandemic, businesses are having to find creative ways to stay operational while unable to serve people in the same way within their stores. 

One great way to keep people shopping with you, no matter where they are, is with online sales strategies. In this blog post, we'll go over some ideas to adapt your business to keep earning money while your storefront is operating at a different capacity or even closed to the public.

An online store is a perfect way for businesses to stay open 24/7 and serve customers near and far. If you’ve never sold online, now is the time and every Zibster account includes ecommerce tools! Having an online store allows your customers to make purchases without contact. You can set up multiple options for people to get their orders including via mail, delivery, or pickup.

Learn how to set up an online store »

Within your online store, you can set up an option for orders to be picked up in person under shipping options. Pick up is a convenient option for local customers.

Once you have that setup, make sure to let customers know about the option to order online and pick up. You can use email marketing campaigns and sticky banners to let your customers know all the options that are available.

To give your customers even more options for order pick up, you can even use the  Zibster Scheduler to allow customers to sign up for specific pick up times. Let them select and choose when to pick up an item or come in for a service. This is a great way to keep your business active and encourage social distancing..

Learn how to set up contactless pick up as a shipping option »

Learn how to set up order pick up times »

If you have local customers you want to hand-deliver products to, you may consider skipping the shipping and doing it yourself. Home delivery is a trend with many businesses right now. It provides convenience to your customers and has the potential to save shipping costs while adding another layer of dedication to your customer experience. Customers can be more inclined to buy when they see that extra level of service provided.

Giving the option to selecting a delivery time is another excellent use for the Zibster Scheduler. It can allow people to indicate when they want an item delivered to their home, so they know when to expect it.

Learn how to set up home delivery as a shipping option »

Learn how to set up a delivery time sign up schedule »

You can also sell gift cards to keep people thinking about your products and services and supporting your business. It's a way for you to keep customers engaged and make money for future sessions. It's great for the customer as well as they may see this as a prepayment option and feel they are spending less later in the year. 

Learn how to set up gift cards »

Online workshops and virtual classes are a great way to keep customers engaged when you can’t be together in person. You can sign people up online by creating a registration form. That form can even be set up to send people to hidden pages or files once they successfully sign up, to give them access to your online events. 

Learn how to set up a registration form »

If you haven't taken advantage of your online store capabilities, now is the time! With Zibster you get an all-in-one solution — a website builder with ecommerce and scheduling built right in. Learn more about what our platform offers and how it can help your business. If you need further assistance, give us a call at 1.844.353.3412, we'll be happy to help you.