Fun in The Sun: Driving Summer Profit

It sometimes seems that we spend the year waiting for those startlingly blue skies and long, languorous nights to once again grace us in the summer. For many, summertime is the part of the year where they truly come alive, shedding their jackets in favour of shorts and sundresses. 

For those in the retail and hospitality industries, summertime holds a different promise. When it gets hot outside, consumers love to start spending money. There are a thousand different reasons for this but we’re more interested in establishing how you can take advantage of it as a business owner. 

In this blog, we’ll be looking at some simple ways your business can benefit from the summer surge and make the most of the hotter months. 

Making money in the summer

There are a number of different ways you can drive profit in the summertime. It’s important to react to how consumer behaviour changes during the summer. More people will be on the streets and foot traffic will increase, this is your chance to bring these potential customers into your business. 

The simplest way you can do this is with the classic summer sale. The general mood of the public will rise with the temperature and they’ll be more willing to try a new restaurant or buy a new summer wardrobe. A sale will attract these customers like bees to pollen and leave them more inclined to spend money. 

As mentioned above, customers will be on the look for something new during the hot season and your business should indulge that compulsion. If you’re a clothing store, it makes sense to bring in a new line of summer clothes. If you’re a restaurant, have your chefs whip up some summer specials. 

Useful tools for retail and hospitality 

Despite the fact that they are very different industries, retail and hospitality businesses can both use electronic point of sales (EPOS or POS) systems to help drive their profits. These sophisticated systems streamline processes and allow staff to serve customers faster. 

Pos systems also grant you access to a suite of software and hardware that can completely revolutionise how you run your business. For example, Epos Now systems grant access to their App Store which offers over a hundred leading integrations that cover everything from accountancy to staff schedules.

A hospitality essential 

Over the last couple of years, the way customers interact with hospitality has changed. The delivery revolution is in full swing and many businesses are offering mobile online ordering. This is where Epos Now Order & Pay comes in to help. 

This integration can be a huge boon to your business and is very simple to set up. With Order & Pay, you can quickly build an online menu that features everything your restaurant offers. This menu can then include any promotions or deals you’re and can be updated in real-time to reflect your stock levels. 

There are three simple steps to setting up Order & Pay for your business: 

1. Download the integration onto your Epos Now system and create your restaurant’s fully customisable profile. This can include your full menu, important restaurant information, and your prices. 
2. Create a unique QR code or URL and post it on your tables or inside your restaurant somewhere. This allows your customers to order and pay straight from their phones using any major credit or debit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. 
3. Your system will then allow you to automatically manage your orders directly from the app. This includes your delivery and click and collect orders. 

The biggest benefit of Order & Pay is its ease of use for both customers and business owners. On the owner side, this integration collates delivery, online orders, and collections all in one place. For customers, it uses a frictionless in-browser app that means they can handle the whole process on their phone without having to download anything. 

Safety is another important aspect of Order & Pay. Thanks to its innovative online ordering system, your staff and customers can enjoy a contactless experience that keeps them both safe. 

Power and precision in one device 

Staying ahead of the crowd is vital in a fast-moving business environment. You can prepare for the summer rush for months but you’ll be overtaken by your competitors if they’re offering a better customer experience. 

As so often is the case, POS technology holds the answer. Specifically, the Epos Now Pro+ is a piece of hardware that you’ll never believe you lived without. It is a complete POS system, complete with an inbuilt card reader, that sits in the palm of your hand. 

The Pro+ represents the true cutting edge of POS technology. It’s mobile nature means you can cover all aspects of your business from anywhere within your premises, freeing you from the tyranny of the traditional shop counter. You can serve customers, take their orders, and alert the kitchen at their table. 

It’s imperative that you can get a birds-eye view of your business. The innovative and powerful software of the Pro+ allows you to do this on the go. This includes things like your financial analytics and staff management tools so you can understand exactly what's going on. 

A POS system for any season 

At Epos Now, we pride ourselves on the top-of-the-line hardware and faultless software we offer our customers. Our philosophy is that our job is to help our customers run their businesses exactly the way they want. 

If you’re interested in finding out how you can use Epos Now to drive your profits in the summer, get in touch with our expert team.