Outsourcing Holiday Cleaning For Your Retail Store

Let’s face it when it comes to retail sales the holidays represent one of your busiest times of the year. Increased foot traffic in and around your store presents opportunities to gain new customers, and the cleanliness of your retail space is of paramount importance. Research has shown that cleanliness and presentation in a retail environment has a direct influence on a shopper’s decision to make a purchase. A clean retail space is more inviting and encourages shoppers to stay longer.

During the holiday season managing your store’s upkeep can be more challenging than ever. With increased foot traffic, inclement weather, and extended hours of operation, keeping your store clean and inviting can seem overwhelming. If you find that maintaining a clean retail space is too difficult during this busy season, it may be time to consider a commercial cleaning service.

Commercial Cleaning Services That Can Directly Impact Holiday Sales

Carpet Cleaning

Carpet cleaning is a must at all times of the year, but it’s even more important as customers make decisions about where they do their holiday shopping. Dirty carpets can have a major impact on your brand image, leading to low sales and negative reviews that might discourage holiday shoppers from becoming repeat customers.

During the holidays the carpets in your retail establishment endure a great deal of hardship. Increased traffic, wet, muddy shoes, salt, and deicing chemicals all contribute to dirty carpet and accelerated wear. Professional carpet cleaning before, during and after the holidays improves appearance, reduces odors and allergens, and extends the lifespan of the carpet.

Floor Cleaning

If your retail space has hard floors like tile, concrete, hardwood, or laminate regular polishing and waxing is the key to maintaining both appearance and durability. Research shows that 42% of customers look at the floors of a business to determine its cleanliness. To make your floors look truly inviting to holiday shoppers, consider having the floors stripped and waxed on a regular basis.

Of course, it is important to maintain the appearance of your hard flooring between waxings, so daily maintenance is required. Different floor types have different cleaning and maintenance requirements with regard to both deep cleaning and daily maintenance. Consider contracting a floor cleaning professional to help with regular maintenance.

Restroom Cleaning

There are two indelible facts about restroom cleanliness:

• Nobody likes a dirty restroom
• Nobody likes to clean the restroom

More importantly, a recent study shows that half of U.S. consumers are willing to spend more money at retail establishments that have clean and well-maintained restrooms and more than half (56%) of American adults said they are unlikely to return to a business after experiencing unpleasant restrooms. Can your retail business afford to lose half of its customer base?

While you can certainly assign a staff member to clean your restrooms, hiring a commercial cleaning company ensures that the restrooms are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Many commercial cleaning companies can also provide restroom supplies like disinfectant cakes, toilet paper, paper towels, and soaps.

Window Cleaning

Storefront windows are one of the first things potential customers see when deciding whether to enter your store. It is imperative that storefront windows and doors be free of dust, smudges, and fingerprints. While this may be a task that and your staff can manage on your own, it is important to consider the benefits of hiring a commercial window cleaning service.

Commercial window cleaning services have the equipment and know-how to ensure that your windows are exceptionally clean and streak-free. They also tend to have a keener eye for the details than your average retail sales associate. Of course, during the busy holiday season, the greatest benefit of hiring a professional may be time savings. A professional window cleaning service can schedule cleanings outside of business hours and eliminate this additional task during the busy holiday season.

Parking Lot Cleaning

Studies show that a business’s external cleanliness is one of the top decision-making factors in terms of where customers shop and your parking lot is no exception. A parking lot that is clean and free of garbage, oil slicks, and debris, makes a good first impression and indicates pride in your business. Conversely, a dirty parking lot is far less inviting and brings into question the overall integrity of your business.

During the busy holiday season, your parking lot is more likely to accumulate litter and debris – reducing the curb appeal of your business. Regular sweepings and maintenance not only ensure an inviting, customer-friendly environment but also improves surface durability and longevity.

Buying Time

The holiday season brings a lot of added responsibility to the retailer and with it added stress. Not only are you dealing with the much-appreciated increase in business, but you are also dealing with extended holiday hours, seasonal staff and increased inventory management. Hiring a business cleaning services company near you can alleviate much of this added stress by ensuring that your retail space is clean, sanitary, and ready to impress your customers.