Navigating Seasonal Trends: How Bike Shops Can Stay Ahead of the Curve
With each season bringing its own set of challenges and opportunities, bike shop owners are no stranger to the ebb and flow of seasonal demands.
You know what they say, sky’s out, thighs out, oops, we mean bikes out – so while we still have your attention before the busy season really kicks off, in this post we will dive into seasonal tips to help you maximize your bike shop’s success.
We will also explore how business text messaging can elevate your customer service and completely change the way you connect with riders throughout each season.
Spring: Embrace the Renewal of Cycling Season
We are kicking off this post with Spring because we know you are just coming out of a long winter season.
The snow is thawing, the sun is out longer, and riders are excited to get back out there. You’ve been planting seeds all winter, and it’s finally harvest season.
This is the perfect opportunity to leverage the renewed excitement around outdoor activities.
It’s All in the Preparation
Take the time to thoroughly assess your services and prices listed on your website.
This is the perfect opportunity to review your service breakdown and description on your website. Make sure that the information matches what you have on social media, and Google Business Profile (GBP).
PRO TIP: Make sure to remove any digital content showing old pricing, with businesses changing their pricing more recently, this has become something to pay closer attention to .
During this preparation, make sure your service department is also ready.
Not only should you make sure that you have your cleaning chemicals, chains, and core components ready, taking a second look at your service check-in process and service communication is important too.
Adding work order automation to your workflow will create a consistent experience for your customers and make your mechanic’s life much easier.
What’s work order automation?
Lightspeed POS customers can automate communication with riders every time a work order status is changed. Communicating with customers via text message during the repair process eliminates the need to play phone tag and gives you an easy way to send images and videos, send a quote, capture a deposit and the best part is that you will have a papertrail of every touch point.
Using work order automation ensures you are intentional with every step in the repair process, and that your business is maintaining the same tone with every customer.
Prepare your Google Business Profile
In early spring, riders are in research mode and are checking out your website, social media, and Google Business Profile for information.
Not only should you make sure that your prices and service descriptions are updated, but you should also be paying attention to your reviews.
With features like Google Business Profile (GBP) integration, you can review and reply to all your Google reviews right in Ikeono.
Why is that important? 93% of potential customers look at reviews as a way to gauge whether or not they want to do business with you.
However, your replies are just as important, as per Google’s recommendation on how to improve your local ranking. At the end of the day, replying to reviews simply shows that you care as a business, especially when it comes to negative reviews.
Those customers just want to be heard and the way you go about responding to them is a representation of how you do business to future customers. Need help handling negative reviews? We have you covered in this post.
With your GBP synced to Ikeono, you can even track your efforts before and after implementing Ikeono.
Putting an effort into completing and maintaining your GBP is especially important for new riders and people that have recently moved to your neck of the woods.
Summer: Capitalize on Peak Riding Season
With longer days and ideal weather conditions, this is prime time for bike shop owners.
Make the Most of the Season
We know you are busier than ever during the summer time, but this is also a great time for you to focus on community.
At the end of the day, the retail game is not only about having the right inventory anymore.
Whether it's your team consistently providing exceptional customer service, your service department putting in the work in communicating and educating customers, or engaging with your community – as a local bike dealer you should aim to be the go-to destination for all things bike-related
During the summer time, make the most of the peak riding season and host group rides or maintenance workshops to engage with your customers on a personal level and give an outlet for new riders to immerse themselves in the cycling community.
The Best Time to Collect Reviews
With an uptick in transactions during the summer months, this is the perfect opportunity to grow your Google Reviews.
The power is in the numbers – during this time of the year you will have the opportunity to learn what is going right and what can be improved at your shop.
Reviews are one of the most important metrics considered by Google when someone searches for what your business offers. This is called local SEO. Instead of competing with all of the internet, local shop owners have the advantage of being well, local. If someone in your neighborhood searches for ‘bike shop’ then there are a few metrics to consider in order to make sure you are in the coveted top 3 spots.
Take Ikeono customer Dash Bicycle Shop, they focus on growing their Google reviews via text message and they are in the coveted top 3 spots when someone searches for ‘bike shop providence’.
Not only that, but they are the bike shop with the highest number of reviews and star rating among those 3 bike shops that Google shows (Search and Maps). You can learn more about Dash Bicycle Shop’s success in this blog post where we also cover an important workflow that allows you to get more positive Google reviews and focus on solving any negative interactions out of the public eye.
Fall: Transitioning with the Changing Seasons
As temperatures cool and leaves begin to fall, it's time to transition your focus on winterizing your store and your strategies.
Measure What Your Customers Think of Your Business
The fall is the perfect time to get a health check on your store. Customers that know you have probably been in a couple of times for soft goods and services, and new customers have had a chance to interact with your business a few times.
If you haven’t already, implementing a way to actively measure what you do in store is important not only for your business longevity but also because you can’t have eyes everywhere as a bike shop owner.
And you shouldn’t have to wait for a review to come in to have an understanding of what’s going on at the store. By actively asking customers whether or not they would refer your business to friends and family, you are not only giving them an easy way to respond via text message but you also open the door to a conversation.
Unlike other methods of asking for an NPS score, text messaging allows you to continue that conversation if ever you get detractors or passives.
Ikeono customers have a 92 average NPS score, which is on the higher end of most industries. New to NPS? We have you covered with this blog post: What is NPS and Why it Matters for Your Business.
Collect, Analyze, Iterate
After the spring and summer months, things will start to cool down at the store and this is a period of reflection for every bike shop.
This is the perfect opportunity to analyze your point-of-sale (POS) data and start planning for changes you will be working on in the upcoming months.
What sold best? What category or brand should you stock more of? Are there any bottlenecks in the service department? Should you introduce a new service at the shop based on new customer demands?
These changes won’t happen overnight, but this is when you will have time to start reflecting on how you can improve customer flow and service.
Winter: Focus on Customer Relationships During the Off-Season
The off-season is the perfect time to recharge and prepare for how to improve your business for the next season.
Back to Sowing Seeds
While winter may bring quieter days for bike shops, it gives you a chance to focus on keeping all those new customers that you gained over the busy season.
If you are a Lightspeed POS user, this is the time to start preparing your campaigns. You can use Ikeono to configure these campaigns so that they are automatically sent to your customers based on their purchase.
Tune-up campaigns are the perfect example, depending on the way you do business you can schedule text messages to customers that have bought their bikes 6-12 months ago to schedule one.
You can even get more specific with your campaigns and send a customized service recommendation based on the bike they purchased.
Campaigns have the advantage of being measurable and adaptable. Ikeono monitors whether a customer completes a purchase within 30 days after receiving a campaign. This way you can track revenue generated with each campaign and gauge how your riders respond to each one.
Here’s what Donald from BikeSource Charlotte has to say about campaigns:
“We used to have a little card that we would give with tubeless setups, but we want to use campaigns for those.
We want to send them a link that would lead them to our website to learn about the five things you need to know about your brand new tube.
But my favorite campaign is the seven day follow up on service. People just appreciate that text so much.”
Offer Support on Your Website
In 2024, not having a web chat option is essentially the digital version of someone walking into your shop and there’s no one to greet them.
Offering web chat support ensures that customers can easily reach out with inquiries or service requests, and most importantly that a small question doesn’t become a blocker during their research.
As the cycling season closes, customers will have questions about storage, maintenance, or even new gear – being available will not only enhance their shopping experience but help you out in case your business hours change during the winter.
Ready to Harness the Power of Text Messaging in Every Season?
Ikeono was built in a bike shop, so we know that adapting to the changing seasons is essential for long-term success.
Whether it's harnessing the enthusiasm of spring, capitalizing on peak riding season in the summer, transitioning with the changing fall weather, or focusing on relationships during the winter off-season, embracing text messaging will help your bike shop thrive in any season.