Retail has evolved over the years due to the introduction of digital inputs – something that has become a central part of the everyday shopping experience. This hasn’t be something that has escaped the notice of charity retail shops, and slowly they are beginning to embrace the online world.
Do you know how charity retail stores can introduce the world of digital to their business in a way that benefits them? Read on to find out what we think!
Use social media to gain support
Charity stores have to work harder than ever to stay ahead, so that customers are still interested in coming to the store. In a economic climate that is now dominated by online stores, they have started to catch up.
The aim of a charity shop is to get people to come in and spend money, so that there can be an increase in donations. This is where social media can be a fantastic platform to make this happen. You can do this by posting on Facebook or Twitter that you need donations, or that you need volunteers. It’s also a good place to advertise things that you have in store that you think people would be interested in buying.
People who have used social media to advertise and promote their stores have seen a positive increase in donations and visitors to the shop.
Get inspiration and ideas from people online
Recently, we have seen a number of growing online trends that have been happening in the name of charity. Just last year, we had the #nomakeupselfie which was when women from all over took a picture of themselves with no makeup on, uploaded it to social media and then donated money to charity. This in returned spurned a lot more woman into doing the same thing, and amazingly around £8 million pound was raised for cancer research in just 6 days.
This shows what a brilliant impact that the online world can have, and how it can make a difference. We suggest asking for suggestions on fundraising ideas online, you could find an idea that you hadn’t even thought of.
Interacting with the people online who care about your charity, and inviting them to get involved, helps you set up lasting relationships with people who are likely then to bring in more donations to your store.
Sell products online
Your store is important, and we are in no way suggesting that this should replace that. In fact, having an online store alongside your shop can help boost sales inside the shop. With more people staying at home and looking online for stuff these days, you would benefit from having a website that people can view. Whether you choose to sell stuff on here, or just advertise what you have in store, is totally up to you. This is harder when you are a shop that is selling single items, but there is definitely a way to implement an online system – especially for vintage items.
Embrace technology in your store
Dealing with lots of pieces of paper is a thing of the past, and it’s important that charity retail shops adopt the more modern technology options. By using a high quality and up to date retail system, you will be able to generate more business in your store. These systems are easy to use, and will help you keep track of your stock without having to worry about writing it all down.
We hope that this post has given you some insight into the ever growing digital and online world, and helped you see how charity retail shops can really benefit from these changes.
Please contact us if you are interesting in investing in one of our charity retail systems, or if you have any questions. You can call us on 01204 706 000 and a member of staff will be happy to help you out.