Empower Your Museum Store for a Prosperous New Year: A Strategic Checklist for Nonprofit Success
The end of the year is here but don’t be overwhelmed into forgetting about the year to come. Start the year with a sense of purpose, energy, and a clear direction for achieving your nonprofit’s mission by following this checklist that will set the tone for success.
Here are the 12 ways to give your museum store a fresh start:
Reflect on the Previous Year: Review accomplishments and challenges from the past year. Identify lessons learned and improvement areas so your team won’t be stuck reliving the same mistakes.
Technology Review: Speaking of reflecting on the previous year. Did your tech upgrades from the previous year work for you? Did they make life easier for your staff during the hectic December rush? Assess and plan if you need to work with vendors, add applications, or look at further training. How can your next budget help make technology work for you?
Strategic Planning Session: Conduct a strategic planning session to set goals and priorities for the upcoming year. Engage key stakeholders, including board members, staff, and volunteers.
Inventory Assessment: Organize a thorough inventory assessment. Identify slow-moving items and plan for sales or promotions (BOGO, Free with purchase, etc).
Visual Merchandising Refresh: Update store displays to create a fresh and new look. Consider exhibition, thematic, or color-coordinated displays to capture guest’s attention.
Time Wasters: What feels like a waste of time? How can you get those items off your plate or made more efficient? Make a list (checking it twice) of the items that make you and your team groan and see how you can take back control (be it with a consultant’s help, apps, reporting, etc.).
Product Sourcing and Selection: Attending January gift shows? Research and source new products that align with current trends and visitor interests. What are you missing? What is your budget for the show?
Pricing Review: Evaluate pricing strategies to ensure competitiveness and profitability. Keystone pricing (doubling cost) just won’t make do anymore and you should make room for a higher margin.
Museum Store Sunday: Did your Museum Store Sunday keep you busy all day? Was it lackluster or did you not participate at all? Review your wins and make a game plan for the next year. Do you need to involve another department? Education? Marketing? Give yourself the time to make for an amazing Museum Store Sunday, weekend, or even week.
Customer Loyalty Programs: Consider implementing or refreshing a customer loyalty program. Review KPIs and sales numbers to see what worked, and what didn’t and brainstorm new ideas.
Team Training: So you want to train your staff but don’t have the time? Make the time by scheduling your training starting at the beginning of the year. Provide training opportunities to enhance skills and expand their knowledge base.
Get Those Emails Out: Sounds like a problem for after the holidays? Oh wait that time has come! Get those replies out and get an email organization system going.
By setting your store and team up for success you’ll be ready to take on the new year with confidence. Have some headaches that need extra attention? Ready to power up your store to win?
Click the button below to schedule a free Discovery Call and get your museum store off to a happy new year.