Recent consumer studies indicate that as many as 32 million Americans do their Christmas shopping early. Any business that intends to take advantage of Christmas creep must be ready to jump on the chance to meet or exceed consumer expectations. Consider how you can get ready to snatch up some early holiday sales.
Send Out Invitations
If shoppers can get a super bargain at your store during the Christmas creep period, they need to know about it. Send out invitations to all of your loyal customers and invite them to come in and grab some killer deals on merchandise or services. Use your social media page to promote exclusive sales and share the information in the social sphere.
Consider Opening a Layaway
Since finding the hottest gifts during the Christmas season can be a hit or miss, many customers leap at the chance to store away the perfect Christmas gifts early. Granting layaway to your customers gives you the opportunity to lock in a sale before your competitors. Consider offering a layaway option during Christmas creep for the convenience of your customers.
Spark Up Your Customer Service
Tell your sales representatives to wear holiday gear to enliven the atmosphere. Members of the sales staff can distribute a small gift of candy to customers or even a discount on the next purchase.
Offer Valuable Deals
Many consumers go on the Christmas creep to get an early holiday sale while avoiding the crowds and the bad weather conditions that pop up during the holiday season. However, they will still come running to your store in any weather if the deals are good enough. Shoppers often buy more than one of the same product to pass out to friends, family and co-workers during the holiday season, so consider offering bundle packs or buy-one, get-one deals. Offer exclusive sales on certain products every day of the week to drive interest and sales.
Reorganize Your Store
Decorate your store using festive ornaments to put customers in a jolly state of mind. If you have a physical location, place some of the most popular items during the holidays in front of the store within reach. Instead of leaving all of your sales reps standing behind the counter, place a few sales associates outside and in front of the store to engage with customers. Place signs throughout your store to remind consumers your business is offering timely deals.
Use Strong Marketing Tactics
If you want to gain more sales, it is important to use powerful marketing tactics to bring in customers during the Christmas creep season. Research proves that customers are really looking for stores offering early holiday sales, so you must be ready. Examine sales records to determine which items sold best during post-Christmas sales seasons, and put those items on sale to strongly draw customers. Advertise the event locally and online, and promote the most popular items in advertisements and within your store.
As frustrating as the holiday shopping experience can be, shoppers who want to purchase Christmas gifts early appreciate businesses that make the task easier. Your Christmas creep sales can rise higher than you imagined if you make some simple adjustments to promote your sale and satisfy customers.
Photo courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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