The Russians began to spend less on groceries - the average check in the store reached a minimum for two years, in addition, the July figure fell by more than 3% compared to June, the Romir holding study said. In Moscow, the average bill amounted to almost 680 rubles, in St. Petersburg - about 640 rubles. The general decline in real incomes of the population played its role - Rosstat reported a fall of almost 5% in July.

As a result, Russians are more likely to make small purchases, says Andrei Karpov, chairman of the Association of Retail Market Experts, “The consumer himself, simply put, saves and doesn't buy too much. At the same time, he, yes, takes less, but he simply reduced the number of trips to hypermarkets, where he bought more, just began to go to the store more often. In one purchase, he takes only what he needs. In general, the turnover has been falling over the past four years; in the last year, there has been some slight dynamics in the region of 2% - these are extremely insignificant figures. All this suggests that the consumer does not have extra money. ”

Over the past two years, consumer preferences have changed dramatically: instead of large supermarkets, they choose small convenience stores, said Andrei Vil, deputy director of communications at Romir Holding. “People go from hypermarkets, supermarkets, large discounters to convenience stores, to so-called traditional stores, purchase goods at points where it was previously unavailable - for example, the range is constantly expanding at gas stations, the number of points expanding in business centers not only coffee is offered, ”he explains. - People are now diversifying their purchases.

If before they went to large stores, bought, now they just shop in much more places.

All categories of citizens, both by sex and age, and by affluence, are subject to this trend - those who have less money can still buy the goods they bought earlier at the supermarket on the go. ”

Large retail chains and hypermarkets attract customers with constant promotions: these are discount coupons and game formats - for example, collection cards with the image of football players or sets of children's toys that are presented for a certain amount in a check.

The share of goods with discounts is 20-25% of total sales. And it can hardly be said that buyers turned their back on retail chains and large supermarkets in favor of small shops, said Ivan Fedyakov, general director of Infoline, an information and analytical agency: “Large chains, in the conditions of turbulence experienced by the consumer market, manage to significantly increase their share in the total sales volume.

There is no question of any withdrawal from large retail chains by ordinary consumers.

On the contrary, the consumer has the opportunity to actively save thanks to promotions, which in most large federal networks are very active and often apply to the entire range of consumer goods and foodstuffs, if you wish, you can compose the entire basket at discounted prices and thereby save a lot. ”

The reduction in the average bill is only a seasonal phenomenon, while it’s too early to speak about serious changes in the retail market, Alexander Myshinsky, director general of the Real chain, says: “In the summer, there will be many more small purchases - drinks, ice cream and something else. And the second - every year there is a crushing of the total check for the day, that is, people begin to go not to one store, but to several, choosing goods for stocks. ”

The only region where the opposite trend is observed is the North Caucasus Federal District. There, the average bill grew by 15%.

Victoria Feofanova

Average bill in a restaurant: reasons for the fall and growth methods

Today I wanted to touch upon such a controversial topic as "Average check - is this?", "How to increase the average check?" and "Reasons for the fall of the average bill?". Why is it ambiguous? I had a story, at the dawn of my career in the restaurant business, when it was with this average check that an incomprehensible situation arose. He was, he was taken into account in the reports, but I did not understand how to calculate him what signals he gives to the manager, what are the main reasons for his fall and how to increase him. I had to understand.

How to calculate

Average bill -   This is the amount of revenue for a given period, divided by the number of accounts.

Also, the average check can be calculated per guest: the amount of revenue is divided by the number of guests. However, if you use this approach, make sure that the number of guests by the waiters is included in the program.

When calculating the average check, discounts on the loyalty program, discounts on payments by bank cards, delivery, take-away sales, banquets can be taken into account. How correct is the question. In my opinion, this is not correct, since the average check should be taken into account when calculating sales in the hall from the turnover of the table (per guest) and not affect delivery, removal or banquets. This is the individual work of the waiter with the guest.

As for the loyalty program and discounts, these are marketing costs and should not be taken into account when calculating the average check.

Not just a number

What can we see in the size of the average check besides the numbers? The average bill indicates the target audience, positioning of the institution and guest satisfaction with your assortment. And alsothis is a direct indicator of the work of the waiters. This is an indicator of how well the waiter works, whether he does up-sale and cross-sale, whether he is able to get the guest to himself, as well as how loyal the guest is and how much he is willing to leave at the establishment.

It's not just about size

The amount of revenue is good, but in the end, the restaurant works to make a profit.

Consider an example. One waiter takes an order from four people for a bottle of luxury cognac, and the second takes an order from the same number of guests from 12 menu items. The amount of checks is the same.

Question: who worked better and which is more beneficial for the Company?

  In general, both managed well, there is a benefit in both cases. In this situation, the cost of an expensive alcoholic beverage may be higher than the cost of dishes. But there is a certain nuance.
  Often, the cost of meals, including only the cost of ingredients, forgetting about the costs of utilities and payroll. After all, the dish needs to be prepared, for this it is necessary to pay the work of the cooks and the cost of electricity.

In addition, if we are talking about alcohol, alcohol providers often have better payment terms, there is a deferred payment, there are marketing budgets, which cannot be said about food suppliers. Although, again, the conditions are different.

  How to increase the average bill?

The easiest way is (of course) to increase prices on the menu. But here it is important to keep the price / value level for your segment. Otherwise, you risk losing guests and the total amount of revenue. And the growth of the average check in this case is not at all your merit and not the merit of your employees, it is the merit of raising prices.

I’ll tell you about my experience of increasing the average bill in a restaurant. We understood one thing: at all we can do is teach our staff how to work.

We taught the waiters to sell. The waiter is not a robot at the table, it is a person who can identify the need and satisfy it with the maximum benefit for the guest and the establishment. He should know by heart that for tea and coffee we offer dessert, for coffee - water, for salad - the main dish, for the main dish - side dish and wine, for dessert - the digestif. Coffee can be drunk with milk, cream, lemon. Water - with lemon and mint. For tea you need to offer lemon, mint and honey. You can offer an additional ingredient to the salad, for example, a double serving of parmesan or sauce.

It is very important how it is said and with what expression. The pose, gestures and facial expressions of the waiter should be conducive to acquisition. Confident posture, an open pose, a smile and Salivan's nod are the least that can be done. If the waiter stands with a doomed face and chattering everything that he knows, the guest will not buy anything and may not even return.

You need to learn to read the guests and understand whether they are buying or not. If the waiter sees that the guest is in a hurry, do not list everything on the menu. The order must be accepted and completed as quickly as possible, taking into account the wishes of the guest.

If done correctly, the guest will definitely come back and buy twice as much. If the guest is hot, you should not say the hackneyed phrase “Do you want tea or coffee?”, Unless they are cold, but then their names sound different.

The offer should be so tasty that it was impossible to refuse. The goal is easily achieved with a colorful description and emphasizing the value of the dish. For example: juicy, ripe tomatoes, a crispy lettuce, fragrant croutons, the largest portion in the city or our regular guests' favorite salad.

If the average bill has fallen, then the staff does not modify or trades in financial fraud. Why are the staff not modifying? The reasons can be different: low staff motivation, poor-quality dishes, conflicts between the kitchen and the hall.

Reasons for the fall of the average bill

1. Low level of staff training

If the size of the average check for different waiters of the same establishment is significantly different, then most likely the reason is the personnel training system. It is necessary to conduct additional certification and assign appropriate training based on their results.

2. Low motivation of staff

With low motivation, it’s worth tying the average check to certain bonuses. For example, to conduct a campaign for staff “the highest average check”. The waiter, who will have the highest average check for a certain period of time, receives a cash reward.

3. Poor / erratic quality of some dishes

If your assortment has low-quality dishes that the waiters do not want to sell, you need to deal with the Chef, technological cards and suppliers. Train chefs to maintain consistently high quality. Replace equipment. Or take the dish out of stock.

4. Long time cooking expensive dishes

If the waiters do not sell expensive dishes, since they cook for a long time, it is worthwhile to find a common denominator in terms of cooking time between what the guest wants and how much time he is ready to wait. It may be worth a little change in the technological map of the dish. Add equipment to the kitchen.

5. Staff financial fraud

Conclusion

The average bill is a complex indicator that depends on many factors: the target audience, the positioning of the institution, guest satisfaction with the range and, most importantly, the quality of staff work.

Accordingly, there can be several reasons for the fall of the average bill. It is important to identify for which of them the average check is falling and take the necessary measures.

Residents of Russia continue to save on daily purchases. For the second month in a row, the average check of one trip to the store is reduced, and in May 2018 we are talking about a 1.7% drop compared to April.

“For the second month in a row, the average bill is down. As a result of May, the indicator stopped at 521 rubles, having lost 9 rubles or 1.7% compared to April. Given the May inflation of 0.4%, the average bill fell by more than 2%, ”the Romir research center said.

According to the director of the Institute for Social Policy of the Higher School of Economics Lilia Ovcharova, it is still difficult to draw conclusions about the decline in the welfare of citizens. The fact is that markets open in late spring and summer, some people move from one region to another, and some leave the country for vacation.

“May - July refer to such volatile months when changes in consumer behavior occur,” the expert said.

According to Romir and five years ago, in May 2013, there was also a decline. The average Russian citizen spent 480 rubles for one trip to the store. Then the May index by April fell by as much as 7%.

True, the indicator in May 2018 showed that from the pre-crisis level of 2013, the check grew by 8.5%. However, Ovcharova noted that today people are very cautious in terms of consumer behavior.

The interlocutor of Gazeta.Ru added that not all incomes of the population are growing, for example, there is no increase in wages in the informal sector. “A relatively narrow circle of people receives income from property. They do not affect the average check, ”the expert argues.

Recall that old-age pensions rose from January 1 by 3.7%, and social pensions were indexed by 2.9% in April this year. According to Rosstat, the real disposable cash incomes of the population in 2018 continue to grow. Indicators grew by 3%, real wages - by 9.5%. In general, the indexation of pensions and public sector wages and an increase in the minimum wage have had a positive effect.

Recall that the real incomes of Russians have been falling for the last 4 years. Last year - by 1.7% despite the fact that the salary of Russians was growing. Nominal wages then increased by 7.2%, in real terms - by 3.4%.

According to Romira, the average bill has lost weight in all cities, and especially in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In both capitals, residents saved quite hard. In Moscow, for a month the check decreased by 4.7% and amounted to 690 rubles. In St. Petersburg, we are talking about "losing weight" a check for a month by 4.3%. If we take the annual dynamics, then in Moscow, Russians began to spend a little more compared to May last year, by 1.9%. In the Northern capital, the check decreased by 5.9% over the year.

Monthly dynamics show that the Central District is the leader in terms of reducing spending on goods - 6.1%. Such indicators are mainly explained by the recession in Moscow.

“The check in the Urals has significantly decreased - by 3.6%. A more modest check loss was incurred in the north-west (-1.6%) of the country and the Far East (-1.5%), ”the study said. According to the results of May, the check in the Volga Federal District amounted to 431 rubles.

Interestingly, in large cities, people save more than in small towns. The average check for a month in cities with a population of about 100 thousand people, the check fell by 1.5%, and in half-million - by 2.4%. “Residents of small and medium-sized cities did not save much. In the “hundred-thousandths”, the check added 3.9% over the year, in the half-millionths - 3.8%, ”the materials said.

Also, a revision of the cost of purchases could be affected by an increase in gas prices. According to the Federal State Statistics Service, gas prices in May increased by 5.6% compared with April. Over the year, growth was 11.3%.

Hypermarkets suffer losses

According to Ovcharova, a decrease in the check is also caused by the fact that many retail chains have activated various discounts. “Now in our country, over-representation of sellers, and they compete with each other, setting lower prices,” said the expert.

According to Romira, the check fell on purchases in supermarkets and hypermarkets. In May, it is about 5.5% of losses by April. Reduction of the check in hypermarkets by May last year amounted to 5.9%. A recent VTsOM study says that most Russians still prefer to buy products in large stores of well-known retail chains.

“Chain stores remain the most common place to purchase products: 72% of respondents said that most of the food is bought there,” said the head of the social policy and communication technology center. According to the data, just in Moscow and St. Petersburg the proportion of respondents who prefer stores of famous brands reaches 83-84%.

A study by Romira says that at points "trading" through the counter, the check added 11.6% per year. Non-chain retailers may offer healthy food or farm products. “This format is in demand among buyers who evaluate the quality, taste and appearance of the product, and pay less attention to its final cost,” comments Dina Postolenko, director of retail real estate at Colliers International.

Reading time: 10 minutes

Often this situation arises: at first glance, everything is done qualitatively, advertising is developed and launched, but the target audience, that is, people who are focused on the product, are in no hurry to buy it. In this case, many business owners are perplexed why sales fell and where they made a mistake, missed something or missed something.

Even if your business is organized in principle correctly, there may be at least four reasons for the decline in sales. If you know why sales have fallen, you can analyze the situation and quickly eliminate the shortcomings.

From this article you will learn:

1. 4 main reasons why sales are falling
2. 9 reasons to reduce sales in the online store

4 main reasons why sales fell

Reason 1. Wrong sales strategy and tactics

So, consider the first reason for the drop in sales. It should be noted that it is one of the most common and obvious. The company or outlet has already determined the portrait of the potential customer, formed the target audience, conducted an analysis of the market and understood exactly who their product or service is oriented to. But there is still no sales. Accordingly, profit too.

First you need to analyze the chosen strategy and tactics of sales in order to understand why sales fell. It is likely that they simply do not fit the selected market segment, or the strategy and tactics are very complex. As a rule, to improve the situation, it is enough just to objectively look at what you are doing from the position of an outside observer. Then you will understand why sales have fallen and find a way out.

Reason 2. Unreasoned pricing policy

According to some marketers, the main parameter for the consumer when buying is the cost. But this view is erroneous. Of course, the price is important, and the buyer always pays attention to it. However, he mainly thinks about what benefits the purchase of goods will bring to him and what problems he can solve with his help.

An example is the situation when a person enters a store, the range of which includes more than 200 phones. But for him it does not matter. A potential buyer is looking for a model that fully meets his requirements. A professional seller will build a dialogue with the client so that he sells the phone. He will demonstrate the models chosen by the buyer from advantageous sides, talk about the advantages of the company and let him know that the purchase should be made here. If your staff is customer-oriented and always illuminates the quality of the goods precisely from the position of the buyer, then your sales will not decrease. Think about it now, analyzing why sales have fallen.

Reason 3. Unclear warranty conditions.

When a person makes a purchase, he must understand that the goods that have not set him up can be easily returned. The return procedure itself is important here - the simpler it is, the more the customer trusts you. Nobody wants to mess with paperwork to get their money.

In accordance with the Russian legislation on the protection of consumer rights, the goods must be returned within two weeks. As a rule, a person has enough for 14 days to understand whether he likes a thing or not. No matter what happens, if the buyer wants to return the goods, he will anyway bring it to the seller. The law agrees with this provision, since the client is always right.

In this regard, thinking about why sales have fallen, you should pay attention to this parameter as well - you may be providing fuzzy warranty conditions to your customers. Adjust them to make them more understandable and transparent. Your target audience should understand that it will be possible to return the goods if something happens. She will regard this point as your significant advantage.

Remember that in any retail outlet, returns are inevitable. If you make it good for your reputation, you won’t think about why sales fell.

Submit your application

Reason 4. At the wrong time, in the wrong place

Why did sales fall? It can be quite difficult to answer this question, and often the problem lies not in you as in a bad seller, but simply in the poor location of the outlet. So, if you understand why sales fell, and find out that this happened for the above reason, then what should I do?

Of course, changing the location is much more difficult than eliminating another reason. However, this factor greatly affects the business, and therefore if your sales really fell and the store is located poorly, it’s better to choose a more passable place.

Also, the product may be ahead of itself - another reason why sales fell. That is, the audience is not yet ready to perceive and use your product. It is appropriate to give an example of the largest company Apple, whose products for many years simply were not in demand - consumers were not ready to make innovative decisions and advanced technologies. Often before the product enters into the usual routine of the user and becomes clear to him, it takes time. Alas, correcting the situation can be very difficult.

So, we looked at 4 factors due to which sales may fall. Note, we focused only on the main and most common reasons for the decline in consumer demand. In reality, there can be many more, and this should be taken into account. But if you know about the mistakes that entrepreneurs often make, then you, as a businessman, can learn from them and avoid such mistakes in your practice.

Mistakes of managers due to which sales decrease

Mistake 1. Late purchase offer

So why did sales fall in your case? Often, managers make a mistake by continuing to persuade the client to purchase the product, while he is ready to do it. An offer to buy is a whole art, and here you should remember about certain nuances and subtleties. The procedure can be compared to fishing, when your active action must be completed exactly on time and not a second sooner or later.

If your company has a competent and professional sales manager, then, most likely, he knows how to offer a client a product or service.

Mistake 2. Talking to the buyer not about the benefits for him, but to highlight the advantages of his company

You are proud of your company, the goods and services that you offer. Of course, any sales manager should love and believe in what he is promoting. This is the key to successful sales. But the client’s psychology is such that in the acquisition process he is exclusively interested in his own benefit. Not your product or service, but the benefits and benefits that it will receive after purchase.

In this regard, when conducting negotiations, a professional manager should highlight the value of a product or service for a potential buyer. This approach will allow you to continue to increase implementation. And now it is possible that your sales fell precisely due to illiterate actions of the staff.

Mistake 3. Feel free to touch on the topic of value.

Often, managers are shy or afraid to voice the value to the client. Especially if they themselves consider it overpriced and know that competitors offer lower prices. Managers are afraid to hear from a potential buyer that he is not ready to purchase a product because of its high cost. It is the seller’s doubts that may be the reason that sales fell. The client feels that the specialist is not sure what he is saying, and this raises doubts about him at the decision-making stage. “Am I doing everything right? Perhaps they gave me little time to think? Probably worth asking for a discount? ”

How can a manager deal with fear and hesitation in discussing the price?   There are two ways:

• train confidently talk about the price;
• work out the answers to the objection of “Expensive” and do this until they become automatic.

Error 4. Apply complex phrases and terms in a conversation with a client

Often, sales managers, especially inexperienced ones, use abstruse phrases and specific terms in the conversation, long and difficult to understand sentences. What does this lead to? A potential client gets tired of perceiving such information, ceases to delve into what the manager says, and the deal breaks down. It is possible that your sales fell precisely for this reason.

Why do managers of many companies express themselves this way? To demonstrate to the client their professional level and expertise in the subject. But what is more important - to show a potential client that you are competent and well versed in the issue, or to sell a product or service? If it is in your interests to sell products, make yourself clear so that the person understands exactly what you mean. So you significantly increase the likelihood of a successful transaction, and you do not have to analyze why sales fell.

Mistake 5. Engage in a dispute with a client

Disputes on any occasion are a hallmark of our mentality. Why should you not argue with a client under any circumstances? Everything is very simple - a person in this case simply does not make a purchase.

Even if the client’s wrongness is obvious, do not argue with him, unless, of course, you are interested in selling a product or service. Buyers are often wrong. But it’s you who perfectly know the properties and characteristics of your product, and not the client who barely got acquainted with the product. When you express your point of view, then, of course, you pursue noble goals - to prove to the buyer that the product is really high-quality, and to sell it. But voicing one’s opinion should be careful not to provoke a conflict. If you are arguing with many buyers, then this may be the reason why sales fell in your company.

Why sales fell in a crisis, and what it can lead to

The strength of any business due to the economic crisis can be significantly shaken. One of the most vulnerable forms of entrepreneurship is mediation, including in trade. Wholesale companies are constantly balancing between the requirements of manufacturers and the needs of customers, and the slightest deterioration in the market situation can lead to the failure of the entire system and serious financial difficulties for the company. That is another reason why sales fell, may be the onset of the financial crisis.

Here is the order in which the difficulties appear in the channels of the movement of goods and how participants connected with each other by trade relations react to them - retail stores and wholesale enterprises:

Reduced customer demand

So, your sales have fallen. With problems in the economy, demand among buyers falls - in the country and at the global level. This is because jobs are being cut in organizations, wages are being delayed, and difficulties arise in obtaining and repaying loans. That is, everything is interconnected.

Retailer receives less money from selling products in stores

This immediately affects the costly retail business. When working capital becomes less, it is more difficult for a retailer to take and give out bank loans, give out salaries to subordinates, pay rent of retail premises and carry out advertising campaigns.

In such situations, store owners lower retail prices and increase advertising activity. The retail operators transfer the costs of these events to wholesale organizations - the retailer requires the wholesaler to further reduce prices and extend the loan term.

Of course, threats to change the wholesale supplier and demand the delivery of products on the terms of sale are extreme measures. But they cannot be ruled out. In this case, the reaction is determined by the financial condition of the company and its market position.

Among other things, the retail company, whose sales have fallen, begins to get rid of some of the products with the least liquidity. Because of this, the wholesaler cannot offer the end customer the full range of products.

If the country has experienced an economic crisis and sales have fallen, especially if the outlook for the future is poor, the retailer chooses a liquid product at the expense of the mark-up. This causes a change in the assortment in retail outlets - cheaper products prevail on the shelves.

Often retailers also tighten the cost requirements for wholesale enterprises to promote their goods in retail chains. Such retail protection measures are justified.

Difficulties affect and wholesale

If wholesale sales have fallen, returning receivables to suppliers is more difficult. In addition, inventories at the enterprise are also accumulating in connection with a reduction in retail orders. Result - the turnover of receivables and stocks of goods is reduced. This, in turn, leads to a deterioration in the financial performance of the company.

Since the company is forced to reduce wholesale tariffs in order to maintain sales at the same level, give customers additional discounts and increase the cost of promoting goods, its profit is sharply reduced. A company whose sales have fallen falls into unfavorable financial conditions, in which it becomes more difficult for it to borrow and repay loans, and there is a cash gap.

The wholesaler is beginning to experience a shortage of finances, and therefore cannot quickly and effectively adapt to the changing crisis conditions of the market, maintain the assortment range that is in demand among buyers, and fulfill obligations to partners. Consequently, the profitability of the business is reduced and financial problems are becoming greater.

9 reasons why sales in the online store fell

So, you wondered why sales in the online store fell. It is worth paying attention to the latest research and their analysis to determine why the number of transactions in your store is not growing and there is no demand among customers. And immediately note that it is rather difficult to maintain a leading position in the online trading market.

For three years, Qubit has been collecting customer feedback and complaints from 400 sites. As a result, it was possible to identify 10 main reasons why sales at online stores are falling, as well as to form a portrait of the buyer and his expectations, often not true.

Below are the 10 most common customer complaints about online stores, according to a Qubit study.

1. Cost.

It is possible that your sales fell due to overpriced. As a rule, customers most often complain about them. The results of the study show that two claims are most common among buyers - “too expensive for the presented product” and “too expensive for me”.

Based on Nomis Solutions metrics, customer sensitivity to online pricing is 7.4 times higher than for regular store prices. Therefore, you should take care of the competitiveness of your prices in relation to other companies in the market. In addition, it is important to have a unique selling proposition. You need to have something that other enterprises do not have.

1. Assortment row.

Today, a large number of people prefer online shopping, and there are a number of reasons for this. One of them is a wide range of products and the ability to choose what you like. Customers who shop online want the product search easier than in stores. That is, at the initial stage of site development, you should take care of the user-friendly interface of the store and provide users with a convenient and quick search for the desired positions.

According to researchers, the assortment of goods must be improved by investing in resources such as a recommendation mechanism, lists of new and seasonal products, and grouping by the principle of “related products”.

When analyzing why sales have fallen, be sure to pay attention to this indicator and correct the situation, if necessary.

1. The size.

If your online store does not have useful and accurate size tables, then this may be another reason why your sales have fallen. At the same time, their presence helps the buyer to orient and choose the right product. As an owner of an online store, this eliminates the problems associated with returning products, giving out money to customers, and negative emotions from them.

1. Waiting period.

When thinking about why sales have fallen in your online store, pay attention to this parameter. The average buyer is impatient and aggressive. He wants the site to load as soon as possible. Complaints related to a long download are very common today. This indicator is really important, and its value will only grow in the future. That is why you should definitely take care of the sufficient download speed of the Internet resource.

1. Search the site for the necessary information.

Buyers are very angry if the search engine on the site does not work at the Google level. In order not to cause irritation for customers, improve and develop the tag system on your site, add advanced search options.

1. Availability of products.

Users often complain that the site does not have the goods they need. Despite the fact that there have been fewer such complaints since the last study, this factor can also contribute to a drop in sales in the online store. First of all, customers are dissatisfied with the fact that the desired goods are not on the site or they have already stopped releasing them, but they are still in the assortment. Often, customers hope that online stores will have a large selection and a wide range of products. If your situation is not so, then it is likely that sales have fallen due to this.

1. Navigation.

Analyzing why sales have fallen, evaluate the site structure. Take an objective look at navigation. It is possible that it is difficult for customers to navigate and find the necessary goods. Make sure that information about popular products and sales is clearly visible to users, and the site’s interface is clear and simple, which provides easy navigation through sections.

1. Discounts and sales.

Customers are often unhappy that it is difficult to find windows on the site for entering a discount code. If you are conducting a promotion, a discount on coupons or codes, make sure that a person can quickly navigate and understand what's what. If customers experience difficulties using your online resource, sales will fall.

Note that a number of online stores today establish time limits on the purchase of certain goods, due to which the sensitivity of customers to prices is reduced.

1. Images.

Your online store should look aesthetically pleasing. If you analyze why sales have fallen, then it is possible that your site is not attractive enough. The results of IT tracking studies indicate that visitors first visually perceive the page, examine it, and only then read the text. In other words, beautiful and high-quality images on the site are very important.

The data obtained during the study indicate that before the purchase, the client seeks to view as many photos and images of the product as possible. In addition, he is more interested in seeing how clothes look on models. The more quality pictures and video content you add to the site, the more you stimulate the customer to buy.

How to find out why sales fell: analysis and control

In accordance with the formula of Ron Hubbard, who developed one of the most successful management technologies, control is always equal to income. When you begin to monitor and carefully analyze a particular process, you act on the situation, saving your strength, money and increasing efficiency. The marketing process also needs control and analysis.

In order not to wonder why sales have fallen, continuously monitor:

• how many potential customers turned to you - the number of people who entered the trading floor, the number of phone calls or visits to an official Internet resource;
• how many transactions were completed and checks were broken, the number of real customers, that is, made a purchase. This indicator is necessary for calculating the conversion and assessing the professionalism of sellers;
• how much the average transaction was conducted or the average check was issued. To obtain this value, the total daily sales volume is divided by the number of transactions and broken checks;
• seller’s conversion rate. The parameter indicates the professional level of your employees, their knowledge and ability to use technology for conducting transactions.

If you analyze why sales have fallen, then first of all assess the degree of control of this process. If you are not effectively monitoring and controlling the implementation, then you can’t influence the indicators. Only a tenth of the clients tell the senior management about conflicts and disputes that have arisen, allowing the leading manager of the company to eliminate the shortcomings. The rest of the dissatisfied customers simply refuse to continue to work with the company.

So how do you control sellers? To get started, see how they communicate with customers. Often companies, analyzing why sales have fallen, reveal that sellers are to blame for this in the first place. Perhaps they are inconsiderate with customers, ignore their requests, or are too intrusive. Do not forget that if you do not control the discipline, then after a while you will see that you lost your profit due to a decrease in performance. Sales process management is carried out using two tools - motivation and control.

The most effective means of supervision, according to many managers, is to install a CCTV camera with a microphone in the trading floor or in another territory where sellers work. The presence of video cameras allows the leader to monitor online the work of sellers, evaluate the situation in the room and in general determine why sales fell.

There is nothing surprising in the control of subordinates today, and many modern enterprises have successfully used this method. That is why if you want to find out why sales have fallen, it’s definitely worth installing video cameras and figuring out what’s the matter. If you, as a business owner, understand that sales fell due to employees' faults, you can impose disciplinary measures on them or simply dismiss them by taking others in their place.

The next stage of control is the introduction of daily reporting for sales managers. That is, the duties of employees will include the daily filling of special forms, where information about the volume of products or services sold, the number of calls made or presentations will be displayed, as well as plans for future activities or some other important data for your company. . All this information will later come in handy for evaluating the results of both a particular employee and the entire department.

Another effective way to understand why sales have fallen is to visit a company under the guise of a "mystery shopper." Thanks to this technique, you will be able to externally evaluate how the company works, putting yourself in the shoes of the client and find out why your sales have decreased.

First, a legend is prepared and agreed with the company’s bosses, and then a visit is made to the company under the guise of a “mystery shopper”. This allows you to understand whether the service is provided in a quality manner, whether employees are qualified, and also to feel the atmosphere of the sales area through the eyes of the buyer. Checking competing firms will help you find out their benefits. Using this information, you will attract new customers who chose other companies yesterday and understand why sales in your company have fallen.

How to increase sales after a fall

So, you found out why sales fell. Now your main task is to improve your performance. That is, existing customers should consume more of your products or use your services more often. In addition, it is worth working on attracting new customers.

Attracting New Customers

In this case, you can lure customers from competitors or develop new market segments. In both the first and second cases, certain marketing tricks should be used. The table indicates the tools for implementing each of the above methods. However, some of them are universal.

Increase sales with existing customers

There are also two options for implementation - work to increase consumption and increase sales conversion.

Sales Conversion Improvement

1. Improve the quality of service.   The store should have high-class service so that customers return to it again and again. A good seller will sell anything. A bad seller fails to realize anything. There is intra-company marketing - the attitude of the enterprise to its staff. If you create favorable conditions for your subordinates, then, accordingly, you get more income and do not wonder why sales have fallen. Do not forget about such components as training and motivation.
2. Pay attention to merchandising.   Your sales and profits directly depend on how the goods are laid out on the shelves. In marketing there is a rule of outstretched hands. Perhaps your sales have fallen because you are not following it. In accordance with this rule, the buyer in 80% of cases takes a product that is easy for him to reach. If the item is located above or below this level, sales will be insufficient.
3. Sales, promotions, bonuses.   But remember that thanks to such events you will increase the conversion, but only for the period of their action.

Increase consumption

Everything here should be aimed at increasing the average bill. In this case, sellers:

1. Increase cost.   By raising the price of goods, you increase the size of the average check. But the conversion may decrease. Accordingly, your sales and profits will not increase. To avoid this situation, consider that the slightest change in prices must be justified. That is, it should be clear to the buyer that you increased the cost not because you so wanted, but because you changed the packaging to a more convenient one.
2. Offer additional or related products or services. After your client has decided on the goods, you can pay his attention to related products. Suppose you sold a bracelet. In this case, it is appropriate to offer a beautiful gift box. The client will not spend a lot of money on such a purchase, however, the total check will become larger, which, of course, is only at your fingertips.
3. Conduct loyalty programs.   Thanks to the loyalty card, the size of the average check will not increase, but the number of purchases made by a person in your store will increase. Discount cards are of several types - bonus, accumulative, privileged. Each has its own purpose, but all of them are primarily aimed at increasing sales.

What is the principle of the loyalty program? Suppose you are a grocery store owner. If a person makes a purchase for an amount of more than 1000 rubles, you give him a loyalty card. Next to your store is a similar outlet, which does not have its own loyalty program.

Where will there be more customers? Of course you have. People who have your loyalty card will regularly visit the store in order to receive bonuses, discounts or gifts - everything is determined by the type of card. That is, with the help of such programs you bind buyers to yourself, and they willingly come again. Accordingly, your sales and revenue are growing.