Summer Rush: Preparing Your Business for Increased Foot Traffic

Summer may be brief in Canada, but it’s a crucial time for many small businesses. With customers flocking to their locations to spend while enjoying the sun, it’s a season that can significantly boost your business.

According to the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), nearly 40% of Canadian consumers plan to spend on summer-related purchases or activities this year, with 88% prepared to maintain or increase their spending compared to 2023. In terms of spending categories, RCC’s research states family vacations (50%) are the top spending category, followed by food, restaurants, and alcohol purchases (37.5%), entertainment (36.6%), and clothing (23.7%).

However, with the surge in people traffic to your business comes liability risks. Let’s review how businesses can prepare for an increase in customers by minimizing their liability risks and how business insurance can help if an accident or unexpected incidents occur:

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What Types of Businesses Attract More Customers in the Summer?

With the warm weather here and sunny skies overhead, several types of businesses see a surge of customers, including:

• Restaurants and cafes
• Ice cream shops
• Retail stores
• Outdoor equipment and sporting goods outlets
• Home improvement and garden centres
• Fitness facilities and gyms
• Vacation rental properties
• Catering businesses
• Bars and pubs
• Farmers’ markets
• Food truck operators
• Pet services businesses and dog walkers

7 Ways to Be Ready For More Customers In Your Store in the Summer

Being proactive by minimizing the possibility of accidents or injuries to your customers and damages to your property over the summer months is vital for avoiding claims. Here are seven things you can do at your business property:

1. Identify Hazards

Conduct a thorough risk assessment of your property inside and outside to identify potential hazards that could lead to customer injuries, such as spotting uneven flooring and other trip hazards. Give extra attention to high foot traffic areas like entrances and exits, walkways leading to your property, and areas inside or outside your store or shop with poor lighting. 

2. Conduct Regular Property Maintenance

Throughout the year, it’s wise to perform regular inspections and maintenance of your business property. This proactive approach ensures you’re always prepared, preventing minor issues from ballooning into significant, expensive problems. 

Ensure necessary repairs are done promptly. For example, if there’s uneven flooring, broken floor tiles inside your shop, or loose handrails next to stairs, fix them immediately.

3. Increase Safety Measures

Housekeeping should be a daily routine in your store in all areas accessible to the public. When doing so, use clear signage to warn your patrons of potential hazards, such as a wet floor that was recently mopped or where there’s ongoing maintenance. 

Ensure adequate lighting inside the building and along the exterior walkways, driveways, and parking lots. Install video surveillance cameras inside and outside to enhance safety and deter thieves.

4. Control Outdoor Spaces

Keep all publicly accessible outdoor spaces, aisles, walkways, and entrances clear of clutter and debris. If necessary, have employees conduct traffic control in your parking lot and adhere to vacancy occupation restrictions for your business property by implementing crowd control measures. 

5. Train Your Employees

Your employees are not just staff, they are the face of your business. Train them to assist customers, especially those who may need help navigating your premises. Ensure they are well-versed in your company’s safety and emergency procedures. That leads to our next point.

6. Be Prepared for Emergencies

Your store or shop should have a fully stocked first-aid kit and an emergency supply kit that will last up to 72 hours (download our emergency kit checklist for assembling your kit for free).

It’s not just about being ready for accidents, it’s about being prepared for any unexpected crisis. Your business should have a comprehensive continuity plan to handle emergencies that could potentially disrupt your operations, such as a fire, natural disaster, or cyber-attack.

7. Review Your Business Insurance

Review your business insurance policy to ensure it’s up to date and has adequate coverage limit levels to address your risks, such as increased inventory and a spike in customer activity on your premises.

Carrying more inventory to accommodate a peak season is one of many reasons to update your policy.

What Type of Insurance Covers Injuries to Customers on Your Premises?

General liability insurance covers you for third-party bodily injuries or third-party property damage claims on your business property or due to your organization’s regular operations.

General liability usually includes product liability insurance and tenants’ legal liability coverage (covers repair or replacement costs to a commercial space you rent or lease). Furthermore, general liability insurance provides financial support if you are sued for damages by a customer who claims your business injured them in some way by paying for your legal fees and any out-of-court settlement or compensation awarded to the plaintiff by a court.

How to Get Low-Cost Business Insurance Fast

No matter what type of small business you own or your industry, Zensurance can get you the customized,  low-cost business insurance you need to succeed.

Fill out our online application for a free quote.

Let our knowledgeable brokers shop the market for you, advise you on the coverages you need and what you don’t need, tailor the policy to suit your requirements, and send your policy documents and a certificate of insurance instantly.