If you’re a retailer, you’re constantly struggling to keep your margin high enough to stay in business. Between rent, COVID-19, taxes, and competition from online stores, it can seem like everything is out to get you. In the summertime, that includes the weather.
When the weather gets really hot, it can significantly impact retail sales in many ways. Sometimes you can’t do anything about it, but other times you can take control with an evaporative cooler at your store.
One of the biggest impacts heat can have on retail sales is that people often prefer to stay home when it’s too hot. They want to stay where it’s comfortable.
This doesn’t mean that they won’t shop. It means that they often do their shopping online. Just like when it’s raining or snowy, online retailers see a spike in sales when the weather gets very hot.
On the other hand, heat can work in your favor once people are out shopping. Often, people see a sunny day and think it will be nice to be out. Once it gets too hot, they start looking for shelter. At this point, they will often look for an air-conditioned retail store to provide a break from the heat.
Once people are in the store, they will browse, and this makes them more likely to buy if they see something they like. This can lead to some stores seeing good sales on hot days.
While indoor stores may see some balancing effects on the hottest days, open-air retailers don’t see a similar benefit. An open-air booth or mall might seem appealing when the weather is warm, but hot weather makes people irritable and impatient. They simply don’t want to spend time browsing in the heat.
This becomes even worse for special events like county or state fairs. When the weather is hot, fair attendance drops. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Iowa or Los Angeles – hot weather means nobody wants to go to the fair. Even worse, they don’t want to stay there and spend their money.
What can outdoor retailers do to overcome this challenge? An evaporative cooler can be your secret weapon. With an evaporative cooler, an outdoor retailer can create an environment that’s as comfortable as an indoor, air-conditioned store.
An evaporative cooler can dramatically drop the air temperature by up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit in hot, dry conditions. Even in humid conditions, the temperature can drop 15 degrees or more. With customers dressed for summer weather, that’s all they need to stay comfortable.
This means that customers will spend more time browsing at your booth. They’ll be in a better mood when they’re shopping, which means they’re more likely to buy. They might even be inclined to buy something purely out of gratitude for the comfortable conditions.
With the efficient operation of the evaporative cooler, you won’t be losing all your profits to energy costs. Not only that but there’s no installation cost. You can set it up anywhere you have access to water and a standard outlet. Because they’re portable, evaporative coolers can be deployed where they’re needed. If some places get the morning sun and others get it in the afternoon, the cooler can move to target those areas. It can also follow the crowds: set it up in a food court at lunchtime, then move it to the amphitheater when bands start to play in the evening.
For stores with no air conditioning, the impact can be just as bad as for outdoor retailers. People might duck into a store, but they won’t stay long if the conditions are uncomfortable. And they will rarely buy anything.
The problem is that it can be expensive to install air conditioning. It might not even be an option if you’re leasing your location. Sometimes you might even have air conditioning, but your landlord refuses to fix it or never gets around to it. In these situations, you need an affordable, easy way to cool your store. Portacool portable evaporative coolers are the perfect solution. You can wheel them where they’re needed, and they cool the store quickly and efficiently. As long as you have access to an outside air source, our evaporative coolers can deliver the comfort you need in your indoor retail store.
Want to learn how a portable evaporative cooler can help you beat the heat on the hottest days? Please visit a local retailer or contact Portacool directly for more information.
The Portacool 510 is the newest addition to our product line. As the smallest and lightest Portacool evaporative cooler, it provides the ease and versatility you need to maintain a comfortable environment in small spaces.
Enjoy the cooling benefits of the 510 in a wide range of applications. It’s excellent for home workshops and backyard patios. Keep your small business workspace, retail shop, or gym cool on hot days. You can also bring the 510 along on RV trips and when you’re tailgating before a sports event on a hot day.
The Portacool Cyclone™ series provides powerful cooling in spaces where air conditioning simply isn’t a viable solution. These compact, lightweight evaporative coolers come on wheels, making them easy to move around your space to achieve cooling benefits in the precise area you need them.
With four distinct coolers in the Cyclone line, you’re guaranteed to find an option that meets your specific needs. The Cyclone is perfect for outdoor patios, home workshops, small businesses, retail shops, events venues, and gyms.
Larger work environments need a powerful cooling solution to maintain workers’ health, safety, and productivity when the temperatures get hot. The Portacool Jetstream™ series provides the cooling you need to avoid a work stoppage due to excessive heat.
The Jetstream is the evaporative cooler of choice in factories and industrial settings. It’s also an ideal solution for your auto garage, aviation hangar, farm, prison, or large events venue. With six models in the Jetstream line, you can customize your cooling to ensure optimal results for your unique space.
Effective cooling is vital in any work environment, but it’s especially crucial when combustible gases are present. These situations create unique challenges when trying to keep the environment cool. Fortunately, Portacool’s Hazardous Location series is specifically designed to meet the needs of petrochemical refineries, oil and gas exploration outfits, chemical production plants, fuel depots, and any other location where combustibles are a concern.
Our Hazardous Location evaporative coolers are ETL Certified for use in Class I, Division 2, Groups C&D hazardous locations. All electrical components are sealed to provide an additional layer of safety.
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