November 12, 2018
Four out of ten people shop for holiday gifts on Shop Local Saturday, which falls on November 24 this year. U.S. Cellular celebrates small businesses, encourages them to embrace technology and offers practical tips on how they can use mobile technology to attract customers and win business on Shop Local Saturday – and all throughout the year.
“The annual Shop Local event gives small businesses and independent stores a great opportunity between Black Friday and Cyber Monday to boost their sales, connect with customers and provide amazing in-store experiences,” said Nathan Waddell, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Knoxville. “Small businesses should take advantage of mobile technologies to elevate their Shop Local experience. From mobile-friendly websites to more access points for checkouts, the latest technology can help keep shoppers engaged by boosting your social media presence and offering deals and incentives.”
According to U.S. Cellular’s latest survey1, 61 percent of smartphone owners never leave home without their phone. That means local business owners have a powerful communication tool right at their fingertips, and U.S. Cellular offers them the following tips to help make their Shop Local event – and their entire holiday shopping season – successful:
- Create a mobile-friendly website. According to a Google study, 76 percent of people who use their smartphones to search for something nearby visit a business within a day. Ensure that your store’s website is mobile-friendly and has all of the relevant information people want to know. Make sure your store hours are updated and accurate for the holiday season as well.
- Take an integrated approach. Since shoppers likely have smartphones in hand, be sure to promote your holiday offerings in a number of ways to increase visibility and inspire customers and prospects to action. Email blasts, social media posts, flash sales and group texts can all be communicated instantly with mobile devices.
- Connect with other local shops. Partner with the coffee shop down the block to supply coffee to your customers that morning or have the restaurant next door provide wine or nibbles later in the day. Consider cross-promoting special events and offerings where each small business will benefit from the other’s promotions. Reach more potential consumers by sharing information to collective email lists and sharing each other’s social posts.
- Download the Shop Local logo. Take advantage of free offerings around this event, such as signage, email templates, social media copy and other marketing materials. Spotlight your participation in this annual tradition by putting the logo on your website, social pages and in-store. You can also add specific event hashtags to social media posts to ensure you’re part of the
- Offer incentives. Promote prizes, discounts or other appealing deals like free gift wrapping in multiple ways, including social media, website, email blasts and in-store. Ask customers to take photos in store and have them post to social media, tagging your store in their posts for a chance to win a prize.
- Make it easy. Offering a smooth checkout experience can make a huge difference in creating loyal customers. Consider equipping your salespeople with tech tools, like square readers and iPads to speed up transactions.
For more information on how technology can help your Shop Local Saturday event be more successful, stop by your local U.S. Cellular store. Local tech experts are available to help businesses learn more about how mobile technology can save time and money.
2Between Nov. 8-17, 2017, a total of 706 online interviews were conducted among a nationally representative sample by Consumer Insights, in partnership with Maritz CX.
About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier offers coverage where the other carriers don’t and a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. For the fifth time in a row, U.S. Cellular has the Highest Wireless Network Quality Performance, according to J.D. Power’s twice-annual U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, and 99 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.
