Christmas is drawing closer, and if you run a customer-facing business, you need to prepare accordingly. Many people will be out shopping over the next couple of months, so you’ll want to take advantage of the big consumer rush! Retail stores, in particular, need to adapt their operations for Christmas. You can make a lot of money by changing things up for the Holiday season.
There are many ways your business can get into the Christmas spirit. Appeal to customers in every way possible this Christmas. Also, make sure you’re prepared to handle a greater amount of customers daily. It’s best to do everything you can to get your business ready for Christmas now. Getting prepared early will ensure you’re well-equipped to make more profit.
You’ll want to upgrade your operations- both online and in-store. Make an effort to reach out to as many consumers as possible, and make shopping easier for them. You’ll also want to get your employees into the Christmas spirit and keep them motivated for these busy months. Here are ten of the most useful tips for getting your business prepared for Christmas.
Decorate Your Store
When you’re out shopping during December, think about what kind of displays stand out to you. Bland store displays often go unnoticed next to the eye-catching lights and decorations of other shops!
You’ll want to decorate both the inside and outside of your store for the Holiday season. Add things like tinsel, lights, and ornaments to get customers into the Christmas spirit. There are many benefits of Christmas decorations for your business. It can create a positive experience for customers and even keep employees cheerful.
Don’t go too over-the-top, though! An overly-Christmassy store can turn away stressed shoppers. But adding a little festive mood can get people in the buying spirit. You could also play a Christmas playlist in your store. Try to offer plenty of different tunes, though- people hate hearing the same Christmas songs in every store!
Put On Promotions
In the run-up to Christmas, buyers are always looking for fantastic offers. Things like money-off deals and discounted delivery for online orders will attract more customers. Make sure you put on some promotions.
Sales promotions can entice many of your existing customers to buy. You’ll also gain many new buyers by putting on attractive offers. Promotions can get spread through social media and even coupon websites.
You might want to get creative with your promotions. Many stores put on different offers for the 12 days of Christmas. It can keep consumers coming back each day and help you make a lot of sales. Bear in mind that many people do their Christmas shopping on Black Friday later this month. Start offering your Christmas promotions early to make more sales.
Offer Customer Financing
Although Christmas is a huge shopping season, many consumers hold back due to money issues. The Holidays can be financially stressful for many people. Trying to spend a ton of money in a couple of months to cover Christmas gifts and preparations can be overwhelming.
To appeal to more customers, you should offer financing deals. If customers have the opportunity buy now and pay over a longer time, they’ll be much more likely to buy from you. It’s easy to implement this using a financing technology platform. These platforms can be integrated both into your point-of-sale and your online operations.
It’s useful for many reasons. Most critically, customers will make bigger purchases with you if you offer financing deals.
Improve Your Website
Upgrading your physical premises to suit the Christmas mood is important. But improving your site may be even more crucial. During the Holiday season, online sales rise by 20%. If you’re not already selling on the web, make it easy for customers to buy from your site.
A professional web designer can ensure you can sell a lot through your website. They can even design it with Christmas in mind. Make sure you’re using the best ecommerce software for customers to find and purchase items.
You can also use your website to push your sales promotions. If customers stumble upon your front page and see they can get 10% off with free delivery, they’ll be enticed to make a buy. You’ll also want to ensure customers can buy from you on their smartphones and tablets. More people are shopping through portable devices, so make sure your website is functional on them.
Get More Staff
More customers will be coming to your store during the Christmas period. It’s vital that you staff accordingly. Stores often hire extra staff just for Christmas. Start recruiting Holiday employees now to prepare for the rush.
It’s easy to find staff by advertising roles on the best job websites. Many people will be looking for temporary jobs to make extra Christmas money, so it’s beneficial for both you and employees. Also, make sure you have a robust training program in place to quickly get all your new staff ready.
It’s particularly important to keep your points of sale well-staffed. But remember, you’ll also want extra customer service employees to deal with the increase in consumer queries. Your delivery department will also need to be well-staffed to keep up with the surge in online orders.
Improve Security
While sales often increase for stores in the lead-up to Christmas, so does shoplifting. In fact, retailers can often lose money during the Holiday season thanks to Christmas shoplifters. Your store is also more prone to theft due to more hours of darkness.
It’s important to improve business security measures as Christmas comes close. Exterior security and cyber security help you ward off many attacks. But you’ll particularly want to shore up in-store security.
Adding surveillance cameras around your store can deter many people from shoplifting. You should also have security guards to patrol your store and watch out for shoplifters. You may even want to add security tags to your products to catch anyone who tries to get away without paying. All of this can prevent your profits from dwindling in these important months.
More Customer Service
During the Christmas period, you’ll be dealing with many more customers. That means more questions, more feedback, and a lot more complaints. Make sure you’re ready for all these.
If buyers are dissatisfied with your business, they might never buy from you again. It’s crucial you deal with all queries instantly to keep all your customers satisfied. Social media is helpful for interacting with customers for this purpose. You may also want an online helpdesk to deal with complaints on your website.
Make sure you have a refunds and returns policy in place. The chances are you’ll be dealing with a lot of refund requests, especially after Christmas passes. You may want to offer refunds in store credit to influence people to buy something else from you.
Make Christmas Content
Every business should create content that works for them. Having a company blog can help you create and circulate all kinds of interesting articles that draw in more customers.
Creating content can be extra helpful during the Holiday season. Many people will be heading to Google to search for Christmas gift ideas so make blogs that appeal to your target market. No matter what kind of store you run, make sure you use content to market yourself!
As well as blogs to draw in Christmas consumers, you could also expand to video content. Putting up Christmas videos on YouTube can appeal to a wider crowd. Also, use networks like Instagram and SnapChat for posting festive images.
Use Social Media
Social media networks are always a great place to market your store. When it comes to the Holiday period, you might want to get even more active. Improving your social media marketing can help you boost your sales and keep your customers happy.
Look into some Christmas social media tips to help your business. You might want to post with festive hashtags. You should also engage with followers by asking questions like “What are you most excited to buy this Christmas?” It can help you offer more to your customers.
It’s also the perfect place to spread your Christmas content and promotions. Make sure to post anything your store is doing, as it can often get spread to many people through social media! Also, have fun with it, and wish all your followers a Merry Christmas!
Offer Gift Wrap And Gift Cards
Many people like to get products ready gift wrapped to give to their loved ones. Make sure your store offers gift wrap during Christmas!
It’s a simple addition that can make a big different to some customers. It can also help you make a little extra money. Although, you may want to offer gift wrapping for free. It doesn’t cost you much and can impress your buyers.
You should also offer gift cards. Many people like to give gift cards to people for their favorite stores as an easy Christmas present. Make sure you put festive gift cards at your point-of-sale. It can help you bring in new customers and make more sales as people who get gifted these will come to make purchases.
