Despite earlier optimism about the U.S. economy, first quarter GDP contracted for the first time in three years. Here are three summertime marketing and merchandising tips to help retailers turn things around during summer months.

3 Summertime Marketing Strategies for Small Business

A lot of things change during summer months that affect consumer’s buying patterns, any of which might negatively impact retailer revenues. Here are three marketing ideas small business owners can use to boost sales during summer months.

As reported by CNBC.com, in the worst performance since the first quarter of 2011, the U.S. economy fell below expectations and contracted for the first time in three years, reflecting a far slower pace of inventory accumulation and larger-than-estimate trade deficit. Small business owners looking for ways to improve summer revenues and positively impact the economy might be able to do so by mastering the change up.

In the game of baseball, the change up is an off-speed pitch. While it is thrown to look like a fastball, it arrives much more slowly at the plate. The idea is to gain an advantage by showing the batter something a little different.

For a small business, changing things up and showing consumers something different could well be the key to boosting summer revenues and profits.

Elizabeth Kraus, a small business marketing consultant and author of small business marketing calendars and 365 Days of Marketing, points out that, “We are constantly looking for ways to help our clients build their businesses, and sometimes all a local business needs are a few new small business marketing ideas to turn things around quickly.” With that in mind, here are three small business summertime marketing ideas that can help retailers get the attention of shoppers during summertime months, based on the idea of changing things up to get the attention of consumers.

Master the Change Up with 3 Summertime Marketing Plays

Change Up the Target Market

Consumer’s summer travel plans may take your regular customers out of town. Small business owners can expand target markets during summer months to take advantage of potential tourist traffic or focus their marketing on niche or under-served segments of the local population.

Change Up the Product Mix

Small business owners may be able to reduce expenses and boost profitability by buying in smaller quantities and taking a seasonal approach to inventory. Maintaining a smaller inventory of seasonal products during the summer can also help a retailer by providing consumers with a sense of urgency, knowing that when inventory is depleted, their opportunity to purchase is over.

Change Up the Merchandising

As human beings, our brains are simply wired to pay less attention to the familiar and more attention to what seems new or out of the ordinary. By displaying merchandise or promoting services in a new way, small business owners may be able to stimulate new interest in previously overlooked products.

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