How to Boost Your Sales During the Holiday Season?
Published on: 11/09/2022
December is the prime month for many businesses to drive orders, sales, and revenue. While this is not surprising due to holidays like Christmas and Sinterklaas, it does not automatically apply to every product. The potential is certainly there in December, but as an entrepreneur, it is up to you to make the most of it and aim for maximum results.
The best approach for your product depends entirely on the industry you operate in and the target audience you are dealing with. It goes without saying that reaching a 40-year-old man requires a different strategy than reaching an 8-year-old girl. However, there are some proven tactics that work regardless of your target audience. These strategies will help your business benefit from the nationwide gift and bargain hunt during the holiday season. Here are the four most important tips:
Attention: These tips are primarily intended for entrepreneurs who want to succeed with their product(s) during the holiday season. Are you a retailer or hospitality business owner and want to attract more visitors to your establishment during the holidays? Then take a look at our festive decoration materials.
Stand Out on the Shop Floor
While many sales take place online nowadays, physical stores can still play a major role in your holiday campaign, depending on your product and target audience. Are you launching a special holiday product? Or have you designed a promotion exclusive to physical stores? If so, you need to ensure that your product or campaign stands out among the competition. High-quality POS (Point of Sale) materials are the key to success.
If your products are sold in supermarkets or hardware stores and you want to give them extra visibility, consider using a custom-made cardboard pallet display and placing it in a prominent spot on the shop floor. If your campaign involves a discount promotion, communicate this effectively with a show card positioned on the shelf, at the checkout, or in the store window.
Decorating your store or hospitality business with festive decorations is also a great way to attract more customers during the holidays. Besides creating a cozy atmosphere, a well-thought-out decoration plan can help draw in more visitors. Curious about how to do this with cardboard? Check out our cardboard Christmas decorations.
Start Early
You might be thinking, “Yes, I know, I need to start preparing my holiday campaign early. Is that really a tip?” Yes and no. Of course, you need to start preparing in time, but that is so obvious that we are skipping that part. Instead, what we mean is that you shouldn’t just focus on the weeks leading up to Christmas—you should start much earlier.
More and more consumers are buying their Christmas gifts as early as November, with shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday playing a major role.
Yes, these days coincide with the Sinterklaas shopping period, so you might wonder how this affects consumer focus. The shift happens in the time between Sinterklaas and Christmas. Many holiday shoppers now take advantage of November discounts, and once they’ve bought something, they won’t buy it again. If you’re not running your campaign in November but your competitor is, you risk losing your potential customer before December even begins.
If you are launching an in-store promotion, starting early is also crucial. Want to outshine the competition with a striking display? Then it needs to be designed, produced, and placed in stores on time. Developing a custom display takes time, so be sure to start early to avoid delays.
Use a Multi-Channel Approach
In the past, people relied on printed advertisements to choose their holiday gifts and learned about Christmas or Sinterklaas deals through newspapers or TV commercials. Today, the customer journey looks quite different. Promotions no longer only appear on TV and in newspapers—they are also seen in-store, flood our email inboxes, and dominate our social media feeds 24/7.
Do you need to be present on every single channel? Not necessarily. However, the more touchpoints you have to effectively showcase your product, the greater the chance it will end up on someone’s wishlist.
For the best results, ensure all channels work together seamlessly. Carefully consider which channels suit your audience best and how you can connect them for a cohesive strategy.
Discounts
We briefly mentioned this earlier, but shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are incredibly popular in the Netherlands. Since discounts are the main attraction of these days, offering a price reduction or a special promotion can significantly boost sales in the lead-up to the holiday season.
However, keep in mind that consumers have become increasingly demanding in recent years. Many are no longer satisfied with minimal discounts or small perks like free shipping for orders above a certain amount. They prefer deals with minimal restrictions that offer clear, tangible benefits. Since every product and industry is different, analyze your specific situation while keeping an eye on your competitors' strategies.
If you don’t have an online store but want to attract customers to a physical location, coordinate with your retail partners to offer in-store discounts and promote them via both your own and their online channels.
An extra offline tip: Make sure your promotion is impossible to miss by using POS materials like a counterdisplay.
Conclusion
Are you looking for the right POS materials or want to discuss how cardboard displays can enhance your holiday campaign? Contact us today! We are ready to create the most unique and sustainable displays and Christmas decorations for you.