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Sales have slowed down. Or maybe they were never quite as strong as you hoped when you started out. Either way, you're looking for honest answers, not another article telling you to "build your brand."
This happens to every small business. Seasonal dips, slow months, tough economies, a new competitor down the street, a quiet patch with no obvious cause. We've watched thousands of small business owners work through it over the past 25 years. The ones who come out stronger have a few things in common. They look at what's actually going wrong, pick a handful of practical fixes, and get to work.
That's what this guide is for. First, we'll help you figure out why sales are slow. Then we'll walk through 15 proven ways to bring in more orders, every one tested by real product sellers, makers, and small retailers.
First, figure out what's actually going wrong
Before you change anything, take an honest look at what's happening. The right fix depends on the cause, and most owners skip this step.
Start by checking whether sales are genuinely down or whether this is a normal seasonal dip. Pull the same month from last year and compare. If you're tracking with last year, the issue isn't your business, it's the calendar.
Next, ask whether you're reaching the right people. Sometimes the product is fine but the audience is off. A great soap line marketed to the wrong crowd will sit on the shelf no matter how much you spend on ads.
Look at what's changed recently. Have your prices crept up? Has your packaging shifted? Are shipping costs higher? Any of these can quietly turn buyers away.
Then ask the harder question: have you stopped doing the marketing that used to work? It's easy to drop the email newsletter, slow down on social media, or skip a few markets when things get busy. Three months later, sales reflect it.
Finally, check the buying process itself. Open your own website on a phone. Count the taps from product page to checkout. If the process feels clunky to you, it's losing customers.
If you really want answers, ask your customers directly. Email your last 30 buyers and ask them what would bring them back. You'll be surprised what comes back.
Once you know the why, the right fixes are much easier.
15 ways to increase sales for your small business
Here are 15 ideas that work. Try two or three in the next two weeks and track what happens.
1. Talk to your best customers first
Existing customers are far cheaper to sell to than new ones. Pull your last six months of orders, find your top 10 to 20 buyers, and reach out personally. A short, warm email offering early access to a new product or a thank-you discount almost always brings orders in. This is the fastest way to get sales moving during a slow stretch, and it costs you nothing.
2. Bundle your products
Group two or three related products together at a small discount. A candle maker might bundle a candle, a bar of soap, and a roll-on body oil as a gift set. Bundles lift your average order size and give slow-moving items a way to leave the shelf. They also make a tidy gift, which opens up a new reason to buy.
3. Run a flash sale on select items
Pick three to five slow-moving products and run a 48-hour sale. Email your list, post on social, and add a sticker to your in-store signage. The tight deadline is what drives people to act. A flash sale also gives you a clear reason to email customers without feeling like you're pushing.
4. Use dollar amounts instead of percentages on discounts
In years of testing catalog offers, dollar-off promos almost always outperform percent-off promos. Customers read "$5 off a $25 order" faster than "20% off." It's clearer, more concrete, and feels more generous, even when the maths work out the same.
5. Offer a free gift with purchase
A small free gift often works better than a cash discount, and it costs you less. A soap maker could add a small sample bar to every order over $30. A boutique might toss in a candle votive. The gift introduces customers to products they might not have tried, which sets up future sales on top of the one you just made.
6. Ask every happy customer for a review
Send a quick email after each sale: "How was it? We'd love a quick review." Post the best ones on your website, your social pages, and your product listings. Reviews build trust faster than any ad you can buy, and the review itself becomes free marketing every time someone reads it.
7. Add referral rewards
Give current customers $5 off their next order for every friend they bring in. Word-of-mouth is still one of the strongest growth channels for small product-based businesses, and a small reward makes it easy for customers to act on it.
8. Rearrange your store or update your product photos
If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, move products to new spots every few weeks. Put bestsellers at the front, group slow sellers with complementary items, and refresh your window display. If you sell online, refresh your product photos. Add close-ups, show products in use, and shoot in better light.
9. Use signs and stickers to draw attention
One Africa Imports customer started putting a "25% off" sticker on every catalog he handed out and saw his phone calls jump dramatically. The same rule applies to your shop window, your booth sign, or the banner on your website. A clear sign with a clear offer moves people to act. A vague sign with a vague offer does nothing.
10. Show up at local fairs, markets, and pop-ups
In-person events put you in front of hundreds of potential customers in a single day. Bring samples, flyers, and a simple sign-up sheet for your email list. Even on a slow sales day, you'll leave with warm leads who can buy from you for years. A candle maker who sells candle fragrance oils at a craft fair builds an email list that pays back every season.
11. Send one useful email every two weeks
Skip the "big promo" emails every time. Mix in product tips, customer spotlights, and simple how-tos. A soap maker might send "3 fragrance combos that sold out last month." A useful email builds trust, and a useful list drives sales when you do run a promo.
12. Make it easier to buy from you
Open your own checkout on your phone. Count the taps. Is your pricing clear? Is shipping cost obvious? Can someone check out as a guest? Every extra step loses customers. Add PayPal, Apple Pay, or another one-tap option if you don't have one.
13. Partner with another small business
Team up with a non-competing business that shares your customer. A massage therapist could stock a candle maker's products at the front desk. A florist could carry a soap maker's gift sets. Cross-promote on each other's social pages and email lists. Both businesses pick up new customers without spending on ads.
14. Add new products on a schedule
Customers come back for something new. Even adding two or three new scents, styles, or flavours a quarter gives you a reason to email your list, post on social media, and freshen up your shop. Stocking new wholesale fragrance oils every quarter is a simple way to keep your range moving.
15. Improve your customer service after the sale
One quick thank-you note. One good follow-up email. One fast response when something goes wrong. These small moments turn a one-time buyer into a long-term customer.
How to pick where to start
You don't need to do all 15. Trying to is the fastest way to do none of them well.
If sales are slow right now and you need orders this month, start with items 1, 3, and 5. Reach out to your best customers, run a flash sale, and add a free gift to your next promo. These three together can shift things in two weeks.
If sales are steady and your goal is growth, start with 2, 7, and 10. Build a few bundles, set up a referral reward, and book your next two markets or pop-ups. These ideas pay back over months, not days.
Pick your three. Put them on the calendar. Track the results.
A word on knowing your numbers
Without numbers, you're guessing. With numbers, you'll see which of these 15 ideas actually moved the needle.
Track the basics every week: total sales, number of orders, average order size, and how many orders came from repeat customers. A simple spreadsheet is enough.
After four weeks, look at the trend. If your average order size went up, your bundles or free-gift offer is working. If your repeat customer rate is climbing, your follow-up emails and customer service are paying off. If a flash sale brought in 40 orders in two days, you know what to schedule again next quarter.
A small business tip from us
If you're an Africa Imports wholesale customer, or thinking of becoming one, there's a simple way to give yourself more room to run these promos: buy in wholesale sizes and repackage into smaller retail sizes. Your margins go up, and so does the room you have for bundles, free gifts, and dollar-off offers. Stocking perfume oils in bulk and bottling them yourself is one of the most reliable ways small sellers build healthy margins.
Use the free sales tools and small business guides in the Africa Imports help section. They're free with no purchase needed.
Start with one focused range. It's far easier to sell yourself as the candle person, the soap person, or the body oil person than to sell a scattered shelf of everything. And when you tell customers that every order supports schools and medical work in Africa, that's a real reason to choose you over a random online seller.
Frequently asked questions
What's the fastest way to increase sales for a small business?
Contact your existing customers. A short, personal email or text to your top buyers, offering a thank-you discount or early access to something new, brings orders in faster than almost anything else. It costs nothing, uses relationships you've already built, and you can do it this afternoon.
How do I increase sales when business is slow?
Don't wait it out. Run a flash sale, rearrange your store or website, post on social media every day for a week, and reach out to your top customers personally. Small, consistent actions add up quickly. Slow periods happen to every business. The ones that come out stronger are the ones that stay active rather than going quiet.
How can I get more customers for my small business?
Focus on referrals, partnerships, and showing up in person. Offer current customers a small reward for bringing in a friend. Team up with a non-competing business that shares your audience. Go to local markets, fairs, and pop-ups. Each of these puts you in front of new buyers without a big ad budget.
What marketing ideas work best for small product-based businesses?
Email marketing, referral rewards, in-person events, and clear signage with a clear offer. These cost less than paid ads and work especially well for candle makers, soap makers, and small retailers. Keep the message simple, give one clear reason to act, and always include a deadline.
How do I price my products to increase sales?
Don't drop prices across the board. Instead, use bundles, free gifts, and dollar-off promos on select items. This protects your margins while still giving customers a reason to act. If you're buying wholesale, your margins give you room to run these offers profitably without cutting into the rest of your business.
How can I keep customers coming back?
Consistent follow-up, quick customer service, new products on a schedule, and a simple loyalty offer. A customer who has bought from you once is far more likely to buy again than a stranger is to buy for the first time. Treat repeat buyers like VIPs and they'll keep coming back.
Where to go from here
Every small business goes through slow patches. The owners who grow are the ones who keep showing up, talking to customers, running small promos, refreshing their range, and tracking what works.
Pick two or three ideas from this guide and try them in the next two weeks. If you sell candles, soaps, body care, or fragrance products, take a look at our wholesale oils range while you're planning your next bundle or new product launch. The right stock at the right margin gives every one of these ideas more room to work.