For retailers preparing for the holiday season, time is of the essence. While merchandising experts fill store shelves, are you also finalizing your marketing plans to take full advantage of the holiday shopping season? As an experienced marketing agency for retailers, here are 5 tips for retail marketing during the holidays.
Which outreach activities are you doing to bring shoppers into your storefront early this season? If you have an email list of shoppers and/or a following in social media, contact those shoppers with an early bird coupon. Buy 1, Get 1 offers or a discount on products often get good responses with loyal shoppers. Social media and email marketing are low-cost ways to drive traffic to retail stores. Motivate shoppers to come
in this month to knock out their holiday shopping list before the crowds swell.- Veterans Day was Friday, November 11, 2016 but many companies honor U.S. veterans all month long. Salute our veterans with a patriotic offer available to any current and former U.S. military personnel. This is a good way to show your support to soldiers by inviting them into your store to take advantage of a month-long promotion. Send the invitation details to the local press, asking them to help you promote this offer to veterans, too. If your promotion is motivating, you will likely attract service members who may not have typically visited your store that day. Be sure to prepare your staff about this offer and encourage your team to thank any participants.
- Update your website with photos of the holiday products you sell. While this may seem like a no brainer, remember sites like Yelp and Google, too. Many shoppers will look online for product reviews before buying in your physical store. Post photos of shoppers in your store enjoying the merchandise to emphasize the great customer experience in store.
- Since November is the month of thanks in America, show your frequent shoppers some gratitude with a discount on a purchase in November when they refer a friend who buys. Everyone loves a good deal and sharing great places to shop is a simple request to your fans. Since your frequent shoppers are likely logged in your point of sale (POS) system, you’ll be able to track new versus returning customers easily. A little graphic design help will go a long way. Create a Thank You Card that can easily be printed and distributed like a traditional coupon. Another low-cost idea is to create this same Thank You Card as an 8.5” x 11” page, laminate it and feature it with a dry-erase marker at the checkout counter. Current customers can write their name on the card, take a photo of it and email or text it to any friends. Remember to add an expiration date to the card to create a sense of urgency. The only costs are designing, printing and laminating the card and buying on dry-erase marker for each location you operate.
- Partner with a charity that ties into your mission and create a clever giving strategy that encourages purchases. If you’re not sure this approach works, read up on the success behind the TOMS shoe brand that donates a pair of shoes to those less fortunate in third world countries every time you buy a pair of TOMS. Give buyers two reasons to feel good this holiday.
For more ideas on driving traffic to retail stores this holiday season and the New Year, visit our website or contact us to learn how we can help boost the number of buyers coming to your storefront. Check out the graphic design work we’ve done for retailer Natural Pawz for a few ideas or sign up for our eBook, coming in early 2017!
