The Merriest Time of the Year

The Holidays are here, so you better have a plan. Retail businesses are fast approaching the busiest time of the year for consumer spending.

Black Friday (November 25) and Cyber Monday (November 28) craze for retail to capture the holiday spending for customers over their competitors.

“In 2021, on Cyber Monday alone, online retailers earned $10.7 billion in revenue, slightly decreasing from the record high of $10.8 billion in 2020. Black Friday received $8.9 billion. Revenue has remained higher than pre-pandemic levels.” (Forbes, Oct. 2022).

The ultimate goal is to sell to customers, draw them in, and hopefully have repeat business. Now, it is the time to show the benefits of your products or services over your competitors. Demonstrate why you have better customer service and value for their money.

After all, when consumers can push “click” to any store on the world-wide web, why should they support a local business or consider your store? If you do not tell them about your product or service, they will quickly look for the store that is marketing to them.

Here are a few ideas to consider this holiday season

Know your customers: Now more than ever, is the time to target to your customers. Identify which marketing tactics worked the best in 2021 and early 2022. Analyze sales and increase efforts in direct tactics. Research sales volumes, hashtags and offers. If your customers need an in-person introduction to understand your service or product, hold a special event to showcase the item. Make it personal - make it fun. If the online discounts spark interest, ask consumers to buy the product for themselves and a friend online or in your store. If your customers gravitate to personal consumers, consider ways you can you make the shopping experience extra special by offering complimentary gift wrap, hot cocoa, a discount coupon, or loyal rewards to return after the holiday rush.

Offer limited time:  If you plan to offer a Black Friday sale, consider extending it through Cyber Monday. If the offer is through say, December 23, then make it extra special to drive online or foot traffic. Make it a savings or service that your new or returning customer cannot refuse and they feel good about buying. The limited time period will drive the sale or at very least the eyeballs to your store over your competitors.

Engage your customers: Now is the time to capture more demographic and psychographic information about your customer. What drives them to buy, and more importantly, what will bring them back to your store after the “super-saving” deal?  Focus on obtaining repeat customers after the holiday rush. Capture customers’ attention with unique and engaging content online and offline. Now is the time to share warmth in ads, excellent customer service, and/or give-back campaigns combined with hard sales gimmicks. Consumers will appreciate the holiday spirit as well as the offerings.

Happy Holidays from all of us at JBe Marketing Group, LLC. Jennifer Bushong, MA is the owner of JBe Marketing Group, LLC., a full-service strategic marketing and public relations firm in Washington State. JBe can implement marketing, communications, or branding campaigns using a variety of tactics. To learn more or book Jennifer as a speaker, jennifer@jbemarketinggroup.com or visit www.jbe-marketing.com.