When launching a new store, you need to create as much of a buzz on the day of the grand opening and in the run-up to the day as possible.
By learning lessons from other stores’ grand openings, you can apply what you learn to your startup’s launch day.
So, here are four important lessons you should take note of.
1. Hosting In-store Events Should Go Beyond Ribbons and Balloons
Many well-known and not-so-well-known stores generate a buzz on the days of their grand openings by putting up bunches of balloons, playing music, handing out free drinks, and cutting ribbons to officially launch the openings.
While you should follow suit, you should also hold in-store events, just like other stores do.
The key is to come up with an event that is suited to your specific type of business and which will pull people into your store.
For example, if you’re opening a clothing store, you could hold a fashion show on a purposely-built temporary catwalk or if your store sells food, you could invite a professional chef to come along and do a live cooking demonstration.
It’s a good idea to check out grand openings near you to get inspired. You can easily explore the latest store openings in the US at openings24.com.
2. Using Promotional Items and Colors That Tie in with Your Brand Can Attract More Attention and Make Your Store Memorable
When the hair salon Pretty Kitty Glam Bar opened in Newark, New Jersey, the company made sure that branding was at the top of its list of priorities.
Its ribbon-cutting ceremony involved balloons and other promotional items that were all colored pink, to reflect the salon’s brand. It also used novelty items like oversized scissors to grab people’s attention.
So, you should follow suit by using novelty items related to your retail sector and ensuring the colors you use in the promotional items on the day of your grand opening tie in with the color scheme of your branding.
You can then create a long-lasting impression among potential customers, not just pique their interest on your launch day.
3. Handing Out Free Items Is a Great Way to Get New Customers into Your Store
You’re sure to want to engage in various promotional activities on the day of your store’s grand opening and throughout the first week of opening.
So, consider giving out free items, like the environmentally-conscious refill store Prostainable did in Los Angeles.
It offered free hemp tote bags to the first five customers each day of the first week of its opening.
By following suit, you can attract more customers to your new store not just on the day of the grand opening but also throughout the initial week of launching.
Just make sure that the freebies you give out represent what your store is all about.
4. Building Anticipation on Social Media Can Help You Get More People Turning Up to Your Grand Opening
Many retail stores use the power of social media in the run-up to grand openings in order to generate a buzz and ensure people come along on the day.
For instance, the swimsuit brand Coco’s Trading Post cleverly dropped reminders on its social media channels leading up to the opening of a new store location.
So, make sure you utilize things like countdown clocks on your social media channels and on your website to build anticipation ahead of your new store’s grand opening.
You could also incentivize people to turn up to your store via social media by offering promo codes for discounts and other promotional activities.
