With only a little over a week until Christmas, many people are now scrambling to prepare for their holiday celebrations. But as a business owner, it’s important that you don’t get too caught up in all the holiday fervour that you forget to plan for one of the biggest trading days of the year—Boxing Day.
In 2016, the National Retail Association predicted that Australian consumers would spend a whopping $2.28 billion on Boxing Day. This year, that number is expected to get even higher, so you certainly need to take advantage of this golden opportunity. Here’s how:
- Organise Your Products Ahead of timeMake the shopping experience easier for your customers by organising your products and collections ahead of time. Start by cleaning out your display or catalogue and prioritising the items that your customers usually go for.Make sure the bestselling products are at the forefront of your store. If you have an online store, place the bestsellers on the homepage and be sure to use striking photographs. It’s also a good idea to create dedicated holiday collections and display them prominently in your shop.
- Streamline Your Delivery ServicesPrepare for a hectic delivery schedule by streamlining your order processing and shipping procedures. Check each step of the process to make sure that everything is functioning properly.Also, review your returns policies and update them. Keep in mind that customers often buy discounted products on a whim only to return them later. Strong returns and refunds policies will help protect your business from loss while still maintain good customer relations.
- Use Innovative Marketing TechniquesDuring the holiday season, shoppers are typically bombarded by tons of marketing emails, television ads, and social promotions. If you adapt these same techniques for the Boxing Day and January sales, you run the risk of aggravating and turning off your customers.Avoid this by taking a more innovative approach to your holiday advertisements. You can personalise your promotions, creating offers that are based on your customers’ past purchases. You can also attract customers by offering useful interesting and useful content that’s related to your industry.
- Go Beyond DiscountsWhile offering discounted rates is a great way to draw in customers, it’s important that you don’t rely only on this technique to attract buyers. Instead, look for more ways to provide your clients with a shopping experience they can’t find anywhere else. For instance, you can offer exclusive products, award loyalty points, and give freebies.
By following the steps above, you can effectively position your business to make the most out of the Boxing Day and January sales periods. For more useful year-end business tips, check out this blog post.
Liam White joined the Slater Byrne Recoveries team in early 2013. He has worked across the credit & dispute resolution industry for a number of years. He is currently working in a Marketing/Head of Sales capacity at Slater Byrne Recoveries.