in: Holiday Sales Strategies
by: Grace Kang
My motto has always been to keep it simple, so here are my 6 tips you can use for a successful holiday season as well as integrate into your sales and retail plans all year round!
Visuals Matter!
Customers buy with their eyes the minute they walk into the store. Create excitement in the window display and merchandise the products to tell thoughtful stories. We love curating beautiful stories with our featured products that make the gift buying process easy for our customers.
Scents Bring Back Memories
Whenever we get a new shipment of soaps from our vendor Saipua, the shop smells amazing. Our customers are immediately drawn to the scents and buy them in boatloads for the holidays. Also, burning candles in the shop can also create an inspiring and positive atmosphere for people to shop. In a place like NYC where the streets can smell like you know what, this can be an instant draw :)
2-For Deals
We love doing 2-for deals when selling certain commodity products As mentioned above, the Saipua soap sell for 1 for $12 and 2 for $20. It's a calculation that our customers can easily do in their heads, and nine out of ten times, they immediately grab another one or more. This is a no-brainer way to sell multiple items of a product that comes in either various scents or designs. It's also a great way to promote stocking stuffer ideas.
Ask questions, and then listen!
Make holiday shoppers feel at ease by asking them who's on their list this year and hep them find the perfect gift for everyone. Listen to the little things that spark their interest and the recipient and pick out the perfect gift. We like to also come up with a set of go-to gifts our team can confidently speak about to any customer. During the holidays there are certain recipients everyone is looking for: gift for a host, teacher, secret santa, nieces/nephews, girlfriend, boyfriend/husband...etc. Come up with a go-to gift for each recipient your can cater to, and educate your staff on these gifts, so there are no missed sales opportunities. Lastly, make your customer's holiday shopping easy by also offering gift wrapping. They will really value the extra service and you will gain a repeat customer.
Promote Gift Certificates!
Gift certificates make the perfect gift for the hard to shop on your customer's list. When American Express first launched their Small Business Saturday and gave away $25 credit, we matched the offer buy offering gift certificates. For one day only, we encouraged our customers to purchase $100 gift certificates for $75, but with the $25 credit, it was like getting it for $50 :)
Test Holiday Styles Early!
Start testing holiday styles in October so come November, you'll have a good idea which are your best-sellers and can plan to be well stocked on those items.
Bonus Tip
Take care of yourself and your team members. Drink lots of water and reward your team for a job well done! love.gift.smile :)
