There’s good news for passionate independent business owners; statistics show shopping for locally sourced produce is on the rise!
We understand owning a small independent business can be difficult, you have ups and sometimes downs. Seeing your regulars’ faces every week brightens your day yet the struggle of being based down the road from a Tesco can sometimes make you doubt your choice in location.
But there’s no need to worry, despite the EU referendum and conflicting opinions on Brexit, Brits buying locally sourced produce is increasing every year – so it’s good news for all the bakers, butchers, greengrocers and florists!
Tested and proven
Statistics show that 30% of consumers now buy more British brand products, climbing from 24% in April 2018. Respondents who rated buying locally as ‘important’ in a recent test had a net increase of 16% from 2005 to 2017 and it’s expected to keep increasing.
Customers may not be heading down the high street as often due to shopping being made easier and hassle-free online, but that doesn’t mean people are moving away from locally sourced British products.
If you believe in the quality of your product or service and are passionate about the brand you have created, it shouldn’t matter if you’re a smaller business. There’s no reason why you can’t sell your product to locally-loving Brits – as a business you just need to know how to market your product successfully, and that’s where Snizl comes in.
Steps towards making your local business thrive
Social media
The first way to successfully compete with larger businesses would be to have a consistent online presence via social media. Social media is one of the best ways to market your product at 0 cost. Don’t be afraid to ask friends, family and business associates to share your posts on their social media channels too, to gain a larger audience.
Get the basics right with clear imagery, a link to your website on each social media channel and interaction with audiences and you’ll be on your way to having a successful social media presence.
Visit our other business blog post for in-depth social media ideas, it’s focused around Valentine’s Day but you can use each of these features in your own way to simply market any of your products at any time of year.
Optimize your website for mobile viewing
Shoppers are set to spend £25 billion using their smartphones this year, which means if you’re a small business, not optimizing your current website for mobile viewing could impact sales massively.
If you have a budget, invest some of this into having a website which can be opened quickly and easily on a mobile phone, rather than a customer having to fiddle around zooming in and out to see your products.
Ensuring your customers have a smoother website journey and looking into having a quick one-click purchasing feature will determine the increase in the number of customers following through with their purchase.
Push notifications on Snizl
Push notifications are a great way of telling an audience your latest business updates, whether that be deals, promotions or competitions.
With Snizl’s push notification feature, you’ll be able to send direct updates to your followers, increasing the likelihood of them viewing the product or service your business is offering on their device!
These are just a few steps towards ensuring you’re getting the best from your business in today’s digital age.
It’s not that Brits don’t want to buy locally sourced produce, it’s that independent businesses’ honest and quality products aren’t available to them as easy as opening Amazon on their smartphone is.
So, go digital and gain access to a new online audience who’ll be able to see and buy your wonderful products from the comfort of their own home.