10 Brilliant Ways To Prep You Retail Store For Holiday Sales

As you look around, you’ll notice that the holiday season is almost in full swing. Halloween is mere days away with Thanksgiving and Christmas hot on its heels. That means the time to start preparing your retail store for the Christmas shopping season is right now. These ten holiday marketing ideas can make prepping your store simple and attention-grabbing.

• Like most online and offline retailers, you can boost sales by offering Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and discounts. Shoppers have become so used to these sales in recent years that they’re often disappointed when they don’t see them offered.
• On the other side of that expectation, many shoppers eschew the hustle, bustle, and mayhem associated with those days. Let Black Friday shoppers escape the maddening crowd by offering similar discounts for the week following Black Friday.
• The holiday shopping season is a clever time to create a strategic partnership that lets you boost sales for yourself and another local retailer. Do you sell gifts for children? Partner with a store that offers gift items for teens and adults.
• Use posters and signs to create gift guides. For example, one guide for teens and one for younger children positioned near their corresponding products can ease shopping woes for friends and relatives.
• Christmas windows are a holiday marketing tradition and trademark. Put the principles of visual marketing to work by designing eye-catching retail doors and windows with holiday themes.
• Does your retail store offer gift cards? Create a gift card display and offer a bonus that lets customers who purchase gift cards in higher amounts receive a smaller value gift card for themselves.
• Since shoppers are milling all over retail stores, the holiday season is a great time to introduce or reintroduce a loyalty shopper program by offering a holiday-themed bonus or giveaway for signing up now.
• Make shopping easier for parents by offering in-store activities that keep small children occupied. Try offering a puppet show or setting up a special display that tempts children with new products but lets parents shop discreetly.
• Erect a Christmas tree inside your store and festoon it with paper ornaments. Assign a small discount to each ornament and allow shoppers to choose an ornament to be used during the current shopping trip. You’ll simultaneously create a sense of urgency and a sense of appreciation.
• Does your small business support a local charity? Be sure to post signs that tell consumers where your philanthropic dollars go. Likeminded consumers will be more likely to shop with you and you might just steer new supporters toward a needy charitable group. That’s a holiday marketing win-win

As the holiday season draws near, use every holiday marketing tactic at your disposal to get the attention you need from the customers your business wants to reach. Many of these ideas and tips can also be used for other holiday seasons. If your target market enjoys humor, you should consider participating in or creating a quirky holiday of your own. This blog from our archives will show you how simple and fun it can be.