The holiday season is a great opportunity for businesses to boost their revenue since customers are in the mindset for spending during the festive period. That said, to get ahead of the curve, companies should start implementing strategies now. Here are some ideas to get started!
Stock up on inventory. Be prepared for high demand and customers wanting to have their purchase in hand immediately, or as quickly as possible. If you don’t have enough inventory, especially during this time, this could cause customers to choose a competitor. If you need a financial boost to get your inventory where it needs to be, consider a lender like Funding Circle, who offers fast, affordable loan programs with a simple online process and funding in as little as 48 hours.
Show off through social media. Social media has become a powerful tool for businesses to connect with customers and prospects. According to recent studies, nearly 90% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over advertisements or paid promotions, Plus, according to research from eMarketer, Facebook users spend about $1 billion per month on average shopping on the platform. So utilize the power of social media to engagement with potential holiday customers, and take inspiration from companies like The Lash Professional, who create and upload regular videos on TikTok and YouTube and have an outstanding engagement rate with their audience.
Prioritize digital over brick-and-mortar. More than any other time of the year, holiday shoppers want both convenience and speed, and they are even happier if they don’t have to leave home. Now’s the time to what elements of your business you can take online! Take the example of Boutique Film Labs, a full-service online film processing lab dedicated to the preservation of analog photography. While they often work with camera films, reels, and slides, and offer drop-off locations for those products, they also recognized that online film developing was growing in popularity and preference as it brings convenience and efficiency to artists of all degrees. Now they are a leader in the online film developing space, having worked with thousands of professional photographers and hobbyists to quickly get their film into our shop and back into their hands.
Offer free shipping or incentives for bulk ordering. Free shipping is one of the best ways to increase sales during the holiday season, and most customers are specifically looking for it, especially with ecommerce. If you don’t offer free shipping, then it’s very possible that customers will look at other retailers who do. In addition, if you sell physical goods, offering deals on bulk orders can also entice shoppers to purchase more from your store. For example, SaharaCase offers a bundle deal where a customer can purchase a series of protective cases for their entire collection of devices at a discounted rate, instead of just a single phone case.
Increase your email marketing frequency. Email marketing is one of the best ways to engage with customers, and during the holidays, consumers are actively looking for gift ideas, deals, and discounts. So, if you typically send a monthly email, bump up the frequency to weekly, or even daily like Intueat! Their daily email to subscribers offers spotlights on their personal chefs, insights into the best e-books about cooking, and more.
Don’t just meet customer needs – exceed them. Small businesses can never settle for average performance, particularly around the holiday season when traffic is often at an all-time high. As with the other points in this article, then customers have plenty of other options to go elsewhere for their needs. But when customers know they can count on you for exceptional service, they will return again and again. At ALAC Services, they’re committed to being the leading service provider for window cleaning, pressure washing, and home services in the Kansas City metropolitan area and adjacent counties in the surrounding Midwest region. They specifically focus on the customer in their endeavors and have built name distinction in the marketplace and personal distinction in the home.
The holiday season is a time when consumers typically spend more, which means businesses have a chance to increase profits with the right strategies in place. If you want to take advantage of this opportunity, implement some or all these tips!