When thinking about shopping for the winter holiday season, over 40% of people in the UK are happy to see marketing for festive brands as early as July and particularly via social media campaigns.  While UK consumers are particularly keen to start gift shopping early, the holiday season is a time for significantly increased sales around the world. It makes sense for any businesses offering winter-themed products and services, or gifts for special occasions, to revise their marketing strategies in order to capitalise on the surge in footfall and online interest.  The festive period provides a great opportunity to offer personalised loyalty rewards to regular buyers, and entice new customers with exclusive discounts and merchandise.  Online seasonal marketing campaigns can encourage sales by making gift suggestions to busy shoppers, while comfortable and attractive physical stores are a pleasant place for customers to browse for longer.

Creating a Comfortable Store Environment to Increase Sales

While sales increase during the festive period, some physical stores attract customers more than others, encouraging them to linger and enjoy their shopping experience. As dwell time is directly related to sales volume, creating a comfortable, relaxed and attractive retail space will not only draw customers in but also motivate them to make more purchases. Creating an inviting environment means thinking about a number of features from festive lighting and decorations to ambient seasonal scents and a comfortable temperature. Adjusting heating to winter conditions in small shops and controlling the temperatures of multiple areas in larger stores will not only give shoppers welcome respite from the winter weather but also boost the morale and productivity of retail staff. As emotions are deeply affected by scent, filling a store with the smell of cinnamon or oranges will tap into feelings of nostalgia and excitement, making customers feel relaxed and happy and, in turn, boosting sales.

Offering Seasonal Promotions for Online Shoppers

Internet shoppers evaluate websites in less than a second, so making a good first impression  really counts. As well as updating pages with a seasonal theme, the holiday season is a good time for offering online businesses, brands and retailers to offer discounts for first time buyers and make it easy for visitors to quickly find the best offers and lowest prices. According to last year’s Future of Retail Report, most US consumers agree that looking for promotions, deals and discounts is both useful and enjoyable. Holiday promotions such as exclusive seasonal merchandise, extra loyalty points or free gifts can all help retailers to maximise their sales and revenue during the busy festive season.

Simplifying Purchase Choices with Suggestions for Gifts

As well as offering free gifts with a purchase, customers can be encouraged to shop more when presented with appropriate suggestions for their own gift giving.  Email marketing is an effective way to increase the number of visitors to a site and the number of visitors that go on to become regular customers is much higher in the autumn and winter. Retailers can simplify their customers’ holiday shopping by distributing emails containing ideas for presents based on previous purchases or showcasing new and unique gift suggestions.  As customers start their holiday shopping, the option of signing up to a wishlist gives them the opportunity to save ideas and shop for longer. This also enables retailers to target shoppers with email campaigns relevant to their choices.  Offering gift wrap and wrapping services is an additional way in which in store and online retailers can offer superior customer service. As well as saving busy shoppers time, gift wrapping adds a personalised touch and can increase brand value and awareness.

For any business offering goods and services throughout the winter season, it’s never too early to start preparing a marketing strategy that takes advantage of the potential for  increased footfall in shops and extra online sales. From as early as July, businesses and brands can start to showcase upcoming winter products and holiday gifts, while November is a good time to offer special discounts and make suggestions for special presents. During the height of the festive season, warm and welcoming physical stores encourage shoppers to linger and make more purchases.