The day you’re able to take your online store offline is quite an amazing one! You’ve come far enough to open up your first physical location – your flagship store, as it were – and now you can start solidifying a very strong local customer base as well.
And when you’re opening your first ever store, you’re going to be under a lot of pressure. It’s easy to forget everything you need to get done; especially the three things down below.
So go through the checklist I’ve put together and see if you’ve already ticked these tasks off or still need to prioritise them. They’re better done sooner rather than later!
Are There Any Regulations You’re Forgetting About?
Opening up a physical store will involve quite a few health and safety rules. You’ll need to get the lowdown of these from your local government website.
That way you can be sure you’re not missing anything and that you’re obeying the specific regulations that apply to your business and your area.
Aside from that, the next best thing to do is go over all any recent inspections, or any health and safety equipment you’ve purchased, or any upgrades you’ve had to make to the premises.
This is so you can be sure everything has been logged, you’re not missing any results, and that the equipment you’ve bought is up to scratch.
When it comes to physical upgrades, check they’re working as intended and don’t need to be maintained any further either.
Will You Still Be Able To Take Payments Without The Internet?
In the digital world, we operate a lot of our financial matters via an online connection. But the moment that connection goes down, what are we supposed to do? And that’s not a problem you want to run into when opening up your first physical store!
So let’s do what we can to avoid it. Firstly, get your checkout set up to take cash. It might be interesting, and seemingly more convenient to run a cash-free business, but connections always have the chance to drop at any time.
And in those moments when you need to rely on cash, put up a sign to let your customers know where the nearest ATM is. This is another little convenient touch that won’t put them out too much.
Then, try to find a retail POS provider that allows you to take payment even when offline. There are a few out there, and they’re more reliable than just going with a provider that doesn’t offer this security.
This way you can still take card payments and don’t have to worry about customers coming in and being unable to buy anything.
Do You Still Need To Tell Anyone?
Now opening day is coming up soon, is there anyone you’re still yet to tell about your new store and how exciting it is? This is the time to go through both your customer list and the marketing strategy you’ve put together.
The sooner you do this, the better. You’re going to need a good amount of time on your side to create content you can share and ensure you’ve signed off on the final edit of the local paper’s announcement.
On top of that, any customers who have shopped with you for a long time now need to be rewarded for their loyalty.
You’re only able to open up a physical location thanks to their long term patronage; show a little bit of appreciation now you’re able to see your name up in lights.
You can do this by offering them instant access to an exclusive rewards program that will open up at the same time your store will.
You can also send them a major discount to use, whether they’re shopping online or in store.
Or even run a competition where they can win an invite to your opening event. That’ll definitely generate some hype!
Let’s Open Your First Store In Style
It’s a momentous occasion, and it’s one you want to look back on with pride. As such, make sure you’ve ticked off everything you possibly could.
You don’t want anything to go wrong on opening day, and you certainly don’t want to fork out for any fees, fines, or miscellaneous needs within the first 6 months.
The checklist above is just a provisional one, but it could jog your memory and help to ensure you’re not forgetting about or going without any essentials. Use it if you need to!
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