Holiday sales are critical to most small businesses. The season offers an opportunity to focus on promotions and more to increase your sales, and you need to take advantage of it. The key is in understanding what to do so that your strategy is effective. This advice isn’t limited to holidays; you can employ these strategies during seasonal changes and more.
The Importance of Seasonal Promotions
Holidays can be stressful for customers. People are busy, and they never feel like they have enough time to get everything done. People are spending money, and they want to buy gifts for family and loved ones. This is your opportunity to make their experiences simple and positive. Offer promotions to draw people to your store. By increasing your sales at this time of the year, you can sustain your business during the slow periods. You can also use the momentum from holiday sales to develop happy new customers who will come back again.
Ideas for Seasonal Promotions
The first step to creating a seasonal promotion is to make sure that you are relevant. Promote products or services that work for the holiday or season. You need to get inside of your customers’ heads and offer them what they want.
Make sure that you are aware of what your competition is doing, and then try to stand out. Don’t offer the same sales that everyone else is offering, or you will blend in. In the fall, everyone offers pumpkin themed products, so find a way to make your product stand out.
Items to Offer
The most obvious products to offer are those themed around the holiday. Make sure that you post pictures on social media to let customers know what you have.
You can stand out from others by putting products together in a bundle or a package. Think about what your customers would want. You can create themed gift baskets, which could be unique and popular.
Consider your displays in your store. You want it to be unique and include products that are great for impulse buys. This helps drive sales, and you can use it in the future. Take a look around your store, and choose a location that will draw your customers.
Host Events
Another way to draw people to your store is by hosting events. You can attract customers on slow nights, and consider joining up with someone else. For example, if you have a bookstore, you can team up with someone who bakes cakes and cookies. You can drive return traffic by offering a coupon for anyone who fills out a survey.