Posts Tagged ‘holidays’

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.

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.

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.

Tuesday Tip: Black Friday Information

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

The day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as Black Friday, officially marks the first Christmas buying day of the year. This year Black Friday will be November 27, 2009. Black Friday can be a retailer’s best and worst dream. While traditionally this day brings in the most foot traffic of any day in the year, it has not always brought in the most sales. Usually the day before Christmas rakes in the highest amount of profit for store owners.

Here are a few facts about Black Friday to consider as you prepare your store for the crowds:

  • The term Black Friday originates back to the 1960s in Philadelphia, referring to the overcrowded sidewalks and busy streets.
  • At the top of the selling list in 2008 was the Nintendo Wii, Ugg boots, Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player, Samsung’s 52” LCD TV and Nintendo’s Wii Fit.
  • Black Friday is not an official holiday, however most employees get the day off (except those working in retail and banking).

The key for retailers is to turn window shoppers into buyers this holiday season. Some tactics to consider are utilizing holiday signs, advertising early bird specials, giving freebies with a certain purchase or offering a percent off at a certain time of the day.

What are some of the best and worst experiences you have gone through with your store during Black Friday? We would love to hear your retail stories!

Retail News Update: Halloween Retail Sales Rise

Friday, October 16th, 2009

In an uncertain retail market some store owners may be hesitant to invest in more expensive merchandise and advertising this season. However, a recent article by the St. Louis Post Dispatch titled, “Bustling Halloween market has retailers seeing back” reports that customers are expected to spend more than $50 on Halloween this year.

The article features retailers from Halloween store owners to haunted house operators to pumpkin farms. They all report that profits are expected to match and even top last year’s sales. One Halloween retail store said their sales are up 20 percent from the same time last year.

With a majority of Halloween spending taking place in the last two weeks of October, it’s not too late to cash in on this holiday surge in spending.