Business hibernation

Ask any business owner in a tourism-based town (like Busselton); Winter is the hardest time of the year. Store traffic is down, no-one is around, the weather keeps people inside, and money, for some unknown reason, seems to be tighter. Sure there is truth to some of this. But I believe there are some methods small business can implement to ‘survive the winter’.

I’d like to highlight some Winter opportunities (isn’t that a oxy-moron?):

AFL (everyone is footy-crazy in the cooler months)
Tax Returns (Aug-Sept-Oct = more disposable cash)
Cinemas and movies (staying indoors means increased consumption of
these products)
Soup (it now nearly takes up nearly a whole supermarket shelf)
Umbrellas and raincoats/ponchos (you always need one)
Kids Sports (very busy at this time of year)
Winter Woollies (You need to wear more clothes in Winter, shouldn’t
sales be up?)

Each of those items listed above, in my mind, represent opportunities. Let me give you an example. You’re a local sportswear store. You sponsor a local kids footy team. They have your brand all over their uniforms, and you provide all the parents with a branded umbrella to bring to the games along with a special ‘parents card’ which operates on a points-for-each
purchase system.

Let me give you another example. You are a local electronics store. You set up a huge crock-pot of homemade soup right in the far corner of the store, charging $2 for a cup of soup with all proceeds going to a local charity. The smell alone will work better than any advertisement.

In my opinion, a change in season or circumstances is an opportunity in disguise. All it takes is some innovative thinking, and a great understanding of the customer.