When you are opening a retail store of your own, there is a lot to plan. From ensuring that you have the finance in place and the products in order, to ensuring that you speak to the marketing team of yours to get your business out there, there is a lot to organize. Success of your retail store is going to rely on the things that you do on repeat over time, but you need to make sure that your opening night goes without a hitch.
There are a lot of things that you’ll do day to day to keep your business ticking along, but it’s things like buying your external signs from ICE Signs before you open so that people can see you. You have to have a checklist of things that you need to do before your big opening day, and we’ve got that exact checklist that you need below:
- Make a point of doing a security inspection before you open up. You need to ensure that your customers are going to be safe in the building and some of the things that you need to check out include the exterior of the building, the windows and doors for forced entry risks and more. You also have to ensure that the alarms are working and review any security footage to ensure no unsavory characters have been hanging around!
- Get the cleaners in early. You want to ensure that your store is clean and presentable for when people come in on the opening day. This will help the customers to see that you are serious about ensuring that your business is the best place to be. Shine the windows and do a sweep of the floor. Cleaning the building is a must, and you need to ensure that there are no risks for your customers to trip on or fall into.
- Get your electronics turned on. The power company should turn the power on for you before your opening day so that you can check that things are working as they should be. The HVAC, signage and all security systems have to be working as much as the cash registers and the point of sale machines.
- Get your products stored properly in the back. All your business products have to be stored correctly to ensure that you have everything you need before you really get going with customers. No one wants to be in a store with a constant flow of low stock. If the stock is never replenished people won’t come back.
- Print your marketing materials. In the local area, you want billboards and posters, leaflets and business cards all ready to go. Post flyers and leave business cards on the wipers of the cars around your store. Make sure that all of the businesses in the area know you’re getting started, too, so that they can all support you and you! It’s vital that you are aware of the ways you can find support. Good luck on your first day!