Archive for the ‘Holiday’ Category

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Tuesday Tip: Maximize After Holiday Sales

 Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

With Thanksgiving and Christmas past, after holiday shopping is in full gear. Shoppers are still looking to save money where they can, which means they are out coupon hunting and sale searching to find the best deals out there. Independent retailers are going to have to price items very competitively to drive customers toward the registers.

According to the National Retail Federation, the number of shoppers was up but spending was down on Black Friday. If you were disappointed with Black Friday and December 26 sales, there is still time to increase your December/January figures. Independent store owners can take advantage of the holiday foot traffic by effectively highlighting marked down merchandise and displays.

The key for store owners is not only to get customers into your store but to spend money there as well. The first thing to consider is communicating to roadside customers or passersby that your store is featuring sales. You have about three seconds to let people know what they can expect to find inside. Especially as mid-January approaches, shoppers will still be looking for those holiday signs. Key places for signage are in window fronts, sidewalks and by the road. Remember to keep your signs simple, direct and professional. Easy-to-read, attractive signs will relay important messages to your target market.

Along with coupons and mailers, stores will attract more buyers by featuring merchandise with store fixtures and supplies that are designed specifically for highlighting sales. We have always recommended using a mix of hanging racks, bins and shelves. Round racks and dump bins are an economical way to feature a large amount of items and do not require lots of maintenance throughout the day. Because these fixtures stand alone, they are optimal to place in high traffic areas and draw customers to a particular area of the store.

Sell holiday merchandise quickly to make room for new 2010 items. We also recommend setting goals for employees and rewarding those who are keeping a positive attitude.

Everyone have a safe and happy New Year’s!

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Tuesday Tip: Highlight Holiday Merchandise

 Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

From decorating to cooking, people always get into the holidays. So this is your chance to capitalize on holiday merchandise sales. Just putting out your seasonal merchandise is not going to put you above your competition. You have to go the extra mile and really make your seasonal merchandise stand out. Appeal to your customer’s senses and put them in the holiday buying spirit.

Sight
Your displays are going to be a huge factor in attracting customers to your holiday merchandise. People are going to go towards attention grabbing things like lights, moving objects and sparkle, not a tower of boxes. Here is where you should let your creative talents shine. If you are not very artistic, consult employees or friends who can help.

Smell
Draw customers into your store with a holiday scent like gingerbread or pine. This would be especially helpful if you’re selling holiday candles or potpourri. Many people associate the holidays with certain smells, so put them in the holiday mood with the sent of their mom’s fresh baked apple pie.

Sound
“Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la, la la la …” Nothing puts people in the holiday spirit more than Christmas or holiday music. Make sure it’s not too loud and try to have a variety of music play. Also try to avoid religious music and play songs such as Frosty the Snow Man, Let it Snow, Winter Wonderland, etc. or make sure you represent all traditions in your musical selection in order to keep all customers happy.

Taste
Everyone loves samples. If you have a special holiday drink mix or dip consider putting out samples. This is a great marketing tactic because people won’t have to guess at what they are buying. And it shows that you believe in your products enough to put it out and know that people will like it enough to buy it. This will also make people stay in your store longer and lure in others who are wondering what is so interesting.

Touch
If your merchandise is packaged in a box, we recommend having a display out of the box so that customers can pick things up and touch them. If you don’t, people will end up taking items out of boxes themselves. This could potentially damage several products.

Think of what would appeal to your customer’s senses this holiday and you might be pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes in your store.

How do you attract customers into your store?

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Friday Feature Product: Holiday Gift Wrapping

 Friday, October 30th, 2009

Many people who order online want to have their purchase sent directly to the recipient for the holidays. Offering gift wrapping services for online sales is a good strategy for these buyers, making your online store a one-stop-shop for holiday customers.

There are many different pattern options of gift wrapping to match your customer’s tastes. The following are offered as half ream rolls measuring 24” W x 75’ L.

Offering customers different wrapping options will personalize the gift and experience for them. Usually people ship gifts to people they cannot see over the holidays, so any amount of custom options you can offers will be appreciated. We recommend stocking up on your packaging material such as stretch film, bubble wrap and Kraft paper.

For more information on packaging, refer to previous blog posts in the packaging category.

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Tuesday Tip: Cyber Monday Information

 Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Stemming from Black Friday, Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving. This year Cyber Monday will be on November 30, 2009. With entire websites dedicated to help consumers find the best deals for this year’s Cyber Monday, it can be very competitive to get your sale noticed. Obviously if you don’t have an online store, Cyber Monday is not as big of a “selling holiday” for you, but it doesn’t hurt to be knowledgeable about online sales.

Here are a few facts about Cyber Monday to keep in mind:

  • Victoria’s Secret’s website was completely down between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. during Cyber Monday in 2008, resulting in a decrease in sales and backlash from customers.
  • Cyber Monday sales were up 15 percent in 2008 at $846 million compared to 2007.
  • The term “Cyber Monday” was coined by shop.org in 2005 as a marketing tactic.

The number one, most important thing for eCommerce sites is to be able to remain functional with high amounts of traffic on Cyber Monday. When sites are down, customers are not willing to wait around, they will simply find what they are looking for with a click of a button to a competitor’s site. Though, some situations cannot be helped, do everything you can to test and retest your site to make sure it does not crash right as a customer clicks purchase.

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Friday Feature Product: Holiday Signs

 Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Perhaps one of the most important things you can do this holiday season is to use appropriate Holiday Signs to lure customers into your store. Because your store won’t be the only one with holiday signs up, sign placement and message are extremely important.

The Store Supply Warehouse website makes it easy for retailers to shop for holiday store fixtures with the holiday items listed together. With all the options as everyday store signs, holiday signs come in many varieties.

The 11 Piece Holiday Sale Promotional Sign Kit and Holiday Sale Super Sign Kit features “Holiday Sale” and friendly snowman. The Economy Burgundy Sale Sign comes in packs of 100, available in two different sizes and feature holiday present images. Economy Snowflake Sale Signs also come in packs of 100, available in two sizes and are printed with snowflake images. The Holiday Sale Companion Sign comes in packs of 50 with “Holiday Sale” and snowflakes.

These festive signs will let customers know that these are not your everyday sales. Special sale signs mean special sales and discounts. Because the signs are dateless, you can use them over and over again. Try pairing them with holiday displays and keep the discounted merchandise close by.

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