If your business is subject to seasonal fluctuations, you probably understand how hard it is to survive the off-peak- period.

An off-peak season is also known as the low season. It's the period whereby a business experiences less demand for products/services, resulting in less traffic and low sales.

While it can be tempting to close your store or reduce opening hours during an off-peak season, you can take it as an opportunity to prepare for peak season and boost sales.

Do you see your Shopify sales dropping soon? You are not alone. 

It's normal for a business to experience cycles, and you can make the most of your off-peak season in Shopify. Here are eight strategies to help you survive and maximize your Shopify sales during the off-peak season.

1. Offer Sales Discounts on Slow Moving Items

Most businesses offer discounts during holidays and high season periods. However, an off-peak season can also be a good time to offer discounts on slow-moving items.

Now that the customer traffic is low, take a closer look at your inventory to identify the old stock. Come up with good discounts depending on the type of products and your goals, and then post them on your Shopify product page.

Discounts attract clients, and you can be surprised by how many sales you can get with your old stock. Apart from increasing sales, discounts and product offers can also help you clear your old stock so that you can restock for the upcoming high season.

2. Develop a Loyalty Program for Your Repeat Customers

Chances are, you have repeat customers who are loyal to your brand. Do you have a loyalty program to reward them? A loyalty program can help you retain your loyal clients for an extended period as they seek to get more reward points.  

Since every purchase offers additional reward points to the customers, the loyalty program will ensure your customers keep coming even when it's an off-peak season. 

90% of businesses offer loyalty programs, so you have to make yours unique. Here are a few tips to make your loyalty program a success:

• Don't ask for too many personal details
• Make it easy for your customers
• Make it measurable and flexible in case you need to make adjustments
• Use multiple reward options

Satisfied loyal clients will bring in more clients through word of mouth, and you will enjoy more sales even during an off-peak season.

3. Improve Your Marketing

Marketing is an ongoing process in eCommerce. During an off-peak season, you will probably have more time that you can utilize well in marketing.

Take a closer look at your business performance to identify the weak areas. What should you improve? Are you doing enough? Here are powerful marketing strategies to consider during off-peak season:

• Create attractive promotion ads for your products
• Use interesting images or videos on your landing page to attract more visitors - a customized greeting message can be great
• Broaden your marketing channels – you can use influencers, advertorials, online publications and so on
• Don't forget to harness the power of social media marketing
• Provide compelling CTAs

Good marketing will help you attract new visitors for the off-peak period and the upcoming peak session

4. Optimize Your Website for Mobile

A vast amount of customers now shop with their phones. Your primary role during an off-peak season is to increase sales as much as possible, and mobile optimization can be a good start.

If your website is mobile-friendly, customers won't have any problems assessing your Shopify store with their phones. As such, you will win the clients who use their phones to websites. With time, your potential visitors may become repeat clients, mainly if your website is fast, you have a loyalty program, and you offer incredible customer service.

5. Keep In Touch With Your Customers

Strengthen your relations with both new and old customers so that they don't forget about you. If you have not been reaching out to your subscribed customers, start today by sending them emails or newsletters without being too salesy. 

For instance, if you run a clothesline, you can send them fashion tips guides, what to consider when buying clothes, and so on. By doing so, you will show your clients you care about them, and the chances of them making purchases will be high. 

Keeping up with your Shopify clients can also:

• Position your business as valuable to their lives
• Differentiate your brand from the fiercely competitive world
• Increase customer loyalty which with time, can increase more referrals

Other than emails, you can also keep up with your clients by sending personalized notes or calling them.

6. Improve Your Shipping

You should take good care of your clients during the off-peak period so that they can come again and again. One way to do so is to offer efficient shipping. Here are helpful shipping tips that can help in bringing more customers to your Shopify store:

• Offer multiple shipping and payment options to your clients
• Offer free delivery (where possible) to attract the most clients
• Communicate your shipping details well

Many customers consider shipping first before buying from a Shopify store. When customer traffic is low, customers will have many options, and that's why you should provide relevant information on each product. Mention any offers you have on the products too to increase conversions.

7. Serve another Niche

Your products may be seasonal, but your customers are not. Perhaps, you can find a complementary product or service to offer them during the off-peak season.

For instance, if you offer solar panels, chances are your off-peak season will be in winter because the sunlight is not always enough for solar panels.

In such a case, you can consider offering some electrical products to keep you moving during your off-peak.

The same applies to all business niches. You can always find something close to what you offer and add it to the store. Nevertheless, you should not stop marketing your old products.

Final Remarks

The tips above may not streamline your sales like in an on-peak sales period. However, they can keep your business running, create more business awareness and help you retain your old clients. So pick and try the tips that work for you to avoid keeping your hands off during the off-peak season.

Would you like to create an efficient loyalty program to reward your clients and increase repeat sales? If yes, download the Grow Loyalty App to create a great loyalty program for your Shopify clients.