In the heat of the 2021 Summer, it’s hard to think about the upcoming holiday shopping season. But we seasoned retailers and e-tailers all know better! Taking full advantage of the holiday season requires a lot of innovative planning.
So, what steps can you take right now to get all your strategic ducks in a row? Here are 8 simples, yet essential, starting points.
1) Develop a full seasonal sales plan for the period of October 2021 to Jan 2022. Don’t forget, the last two weeks before the all-mighty Black Friday are very important. Don’t let your competition outwit you. Be sure to do a thorough marketing analysis of which promotions were successful last year, not only for you but also for your competition. Use this information to finalize sales and promotions now!
2) Ask your promotional team to start creating their graphics and sales promotion materials now. Give them enough notice so you don’t run the risk of losing momentum to launch your promotions because of a delay in these basic steppingstones to a successful campaign
3) Keep track of your top sellers. Don’t forget, items like Ornaments, Calendars, Greeting Cards, and many other objects are also impulsive purchases. For example, get your calendar program underway now. Start targeting last year’s customers who purchased right away! If they purchased them last year, they are likely to do it again. Catch them before your competitor does!
4) Plan Personalised Photo bundles. With Mediaclip you can do some cross-selling and propose companion products to your clients. A photo used to make a canvas may well be also appropriate on a blanket, a mug, or an ornament. Making a bundle is not complicated, so the profits they can bring mustn’t be overlooked.
5) Plan your email marketing campaigns. Drum up interest in your Holiday sales. Draft a string of emails campaigns right now! It does not need to be complicated; send some quick teasers, prepare formal promo announcements, and don’t forget the important emails signaling the “last chance before Christmas”. If you are connected with a CRM tool, don’t forget to “ping” Abandoned Projects and Abandoned Shopping Carts clients with focused recollection e-mails.
6) Create a personalised product gift guide. It does not need to be complicated or extravagant. It can simply be a blog post, an infographic, or a special product category page on your website, where you can put together items that are similar in price and/or in style. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for your customers to find the perfect gifts for their friends and loved ones.
7) Don’t underestimate social media channels. Design posts for social media that link to products in your catalog and use the targeted advertisement tools on Facebook or Instagram to escalate interest among your customer demographics. If you can, set up social shops so customers can easily purchase right from their favorite social media platform.
8) Make sure your website is “stress-ready”. During the holiday shopping season, your volume demand may increase dramatically. With Mediaclip Hub you are covered; your customers will not have any difficulty completing their orders. But for your regular website, make sure you are optimized. Ask your provider to test and verify your landing page speed and check that there are no broken links.
There you have it…. now time to stop reading and start doing! Time is of the essence.
