Beat the Holiday Sales Blues With These Festive Marketing Ideas
Sales are going so well this year, you might be overwhelmed by all the amazing offers right now in your inbox. So it may seem a bit strange to mention that there’s a time of year when even experienced marketers feel the pressure. Yep, you guessed it; the holidays are coming!
It's ok to feel a little nervous about how this season will go for your business, with shoppers becoming more and more fickle over time and less inclined to spend as much as they used to.
In fact, it may feel like your product is flying off the shelves and you’re making a great profit…only to be followed by your profits crashing because all of a sudden, sales are slowing down. This can make you feel like the one who gave out all that candy on Halloween!
But with just a few helpful tips, I’m sure you can avoid being caught empty-handed this holiday season.
Here’s what to do:
Set expectations
Every holiday season we search for ways to avoid the crowds and long lines at our favorite shopping spots. We also look for ways to save money because we end up spending so much during this special time of year.
If you want to keep your customers happy, make sure they’re well-informed of any changes in their shopping experience with you. Send out a holiday email and/or post on social media to let them know about the following:
· If shipping times will be extended, indicate how much longer it will take for them to receive their order.
· If you’re closed on certain days, include that in the communication.
· If you plan to offer only free shipping (without a minimum order amount) during the holidays, let your customers know that now so they have time to adjust their orders if necessary.
· If gift cards or coupon codes will be offered, let your customers know.
· If there will be a sale on a popular product that’s already in high demand, remind them it might sell out before Christmas.
Provide holiday sales tips
Now that you’ve set expectations with customers, it’s helpful to give specific advice on how they can save money during this time of year. This can be in the form of free or discounted shipping during this season, a sale on a popular product, or if you have any coupons or gift cards that can help cut costs for shoppers.
You can also send out a reminder about the return policy, especially if you’re running special sales on large orders and can’t guarantee that a customer will be able to return the item before Christmas.
Another tip: Be sure that every worker knows how to prepare merchandise for holiday shipping. This could be as simple as taking out some festive wrapping paper and throwing in some holiday-themed stickers or tags on the product. You might want to do an actual inventory of your inventory and update each item with a quick reminder of what it means for you during this season—then send this list out to every employee.