If you’re like us, you’re probably sitting there thinking –
where did the year go? Well..the silly season us upon us and although your customers
may not be thinking about Christmas yet, as a retailer, you should be.
The Christmas period is the most significant spending period
for Australians, and if you want to make sure your business is #1 on the
Christmas wish list, you need to be well-prepared.
Connect with your
customers
With
over 60% of Australians using Facebook (Social Media News, June 2015), it has
never been more important to connect with your customers online.
If
you’re customers don’t like you on Facebook or follow you on Instagram, why not
run a promotion this month to get connected? This will really benefit you
around the Christmas period when you want your customers to know about your
Christmas offers.
If
you have a loyalty program, make sure all your customers know about it now.
This will encourage them to consider your store first – and don’t forget to
collect email addresses!!
Think about your
Christmas promotions
October
is the perfect time to finalise your Christmas promotions and start your
pre-Christmas marketing. Social media and e-marketing are fantastic if you want
to let your customers know what you have in-store and on sale.
Think
about having a “gift idea” of the week, promote your Christmas catalogue across
all platforms and make sure your letting your customers know about “hot gift”
items for the whole family!
In order to increase your reach, why not cross promote with a
complementary business. For example, if you’re a mechanic, why not promote
holiday travel safety with the local tyre dealer? If you’re a beauty spa, why
not team up with the local hairdresser? Support each other and encourage people
to shop locally!!
Make Christmas easier
Christmas
shopping can be stressful, particularly for busy people who work during the
week. Now is the time to think about how you can increase the accessibility of
your business to ensure you are being flexible for your customers. Have you
thought about increasing your business hours mid-week? What about a late-night
Christmas shopping night, or providing the ability for your customers to view,
or even buy your products online?
It
may also be as simple as putting “great gift ideas” together to make shopping
really easy for your customers. Why not put together an e-catalogue with ideas
for her, for him or for the kids? And don’t forget to promote it via social
media and email!
If you’re a supermarket or butcher, post some yummy festive
recipes featuring your produce. Tyre dealers and mechanics, why not post a
simple car safety check-list for holiday travels. The options are endless, you
just need to think outside the square, and put yourself in your customer's
shoes.
Do you need help with your Christmas marketing? Contact Adloyalty today!
