By now, your inventory is stocked, you’ve done your holiday hiring and your stocking is hung by the chimney with care. Now what? Here are 3 last-minute hacks to drive awareness and increase holiday sales.
Work with local organizations and neighboring small businesses
While you typically see the other small businesses in your area as friendly competition during the rest of the year, take this opportunity to come together and help each other drive your collective sales.- Find out if your local chamber of commerce promotes Small Business Saturday, and be sure to get on the list of participating businesses.
- Get together with stores in your area to offer consumers a discount for supporting multiple businesses in the area. e.g., “Bring your ticket stub from The Nutcracker to get free gift wrapping on any purchase.” Or, “Bring your receipt from a purchase at the Shops on The Square to get a free appetizer at any participating restaurant.” Expand your reach by encouraging all participating businesses to share these promo details on social media.
Shake things up with share-worthy experiences
Create a little in-store holiday cheer to delight your customers and bring in some new faces.- Host a workshop to teach unique wrapping techniques. Allow customers to bring in one outside gift and offer free wrapping for anything they purchase that day.
- Serve hot cocoa and set up a station for kids to decorate cookies while their parents shop.
- If you’re selling high-end clothing or jewelry, pop a few bottles of champagne and offer shoppers bubbly while they browse.
- Make some merry magic with an appearance from Santa Claus and offer a free photo op for kids and/or pets.
- Make sure you put a small sign near your experience that encourages customers to tag you in their social media posts to further promote the events.
Utilize all communication channels
Make sure you’re taking advantage of all available platforms to keep your customers in the know about any changes to your hours or special sales and events.- More than half of independent retailers report extending their hours for holiday shopping, so be sure to update your Google My Business account to reflect any changes. Pro tip: you can also add pictures from any in-store events to your Google My Business profile.
- Sidewalk signage isn’t your only on-site option. Try placing little signs around the store to help guide your shoppers. e.g., “For the cat lover in your life” on a shelf with fuzzy cat slippers, a cat calendar and a cat coffee mug. You can also point out items from local artists with “Locally Made” tags and signs.
- Your phone is likely to ring more during the holidays, with callers asking questions about extended hours, the availability of popular items and any special events. Your staff might be busy helping in-store customers, but with CallJoy, your callers’ questions can be answered by your custom phone agent. For example, a caller might ask the agent, “Do you sell specialty olive oil?” If the phrase “olive oil” and a defined response had been entered into your Call Actions the agent could respond, “We carry a variety of artisan spices, salts and olive oils. Would you like me to text you a link to our website for more info on specific products?”