Did you know that worldwide 50% of shoppers have already bought all their Christmas presents? Therefore, you can’t afford to sit back and wait until December to start your Christmas initiatives, it’s never too early!
Here are a few quick goals you can set yourself to ensure that you’re ready in time:
- Look back at your sales records for last year’s Christmas period and establish which were your best sellers.
- Make sure you have enough stock to cover this busy period.
- Think about who your key customers are? Those who normally buy your products and people looking to buy your products as presents.
- Obviously, you won’t be sending out any social media posts about Christmas before October but a few gentle reminders before then can help put you at the front your customers mind. Be sure to use eye-catching imagery – look out for our next blog on photography.
- Christmas gives you the opportunity to develop ‘gift’ packaging which is important for customers and events.
- Shops may start offering Christmas products from as early as September so make sure you are in contact with your local suppliers to ensure you deliver your goods in time.
- Plan which Christmas gift fairs to attend and book them as early as you can.
- Be sure to capitalise on the vast number of customers shopping over Black Friday weekend and be creative. You don’t need to slash your prices, but you could offer free postage, vouchers for money off or free samples as an alternative to price reductions.
- Ensure that your website is optimised for use on smartphones and tablets as many purchases are done on these devices.
- Finally, make sure your customers are able to get your goods right up until the last day of posting for Christmas.
Hopefully these points will start your thought process on the festive season, that’s if you haven’t started already. Lisa at Thriving Brand would be more than happy to run through some concepts with you should you need some direction. Take a look at our free resources and other articles for inspiration.