Halloween marks the beginning of holiday trends and gift shopping. What is your business doing to capitalize on the season?
Since “buyer mentality” prevails during this time many businesses make the bulk of their revenue from now until January 1st. Here are some marketing strategies to help you boost sales and offer customers a little fun and a lot of motivation to buy.
Create products for every budget.
Smart retailers develop gift ideas to fit small budgets and fill many gift-shopping needs: soaps in shapes that celebrate the season; fragrances with themed names and labeling; and fun little do-dads for under ten (even five) dollars. The small price tag may inspire shoppers to purchase many of these items for parties and token gifts so don’t be shy about creating a good bargain.
Offer holiday packages.
Pre-packaged gift bundles are a hot item because they take the thinking and the work out of buying. Choose your most popular items and pre-package gifts in a creative way. Come up with fun names for your gift packages and remind your customers of the need to buy for teachers, carpool moms and dads, and other important people who make their lives easier.
Suggest other products.
Does your shopping cart offer the option to upsell at check out? If the customer purchases your “Witch on a Broom” soap they may love your “Enchanting Brew” perfume as well. Have your developer program pop ups designed to suggest comparable items and entice your customers to fill their shopping carts to the brim!
Offer volume discounts.
You may want to add an even greater incentive to fill the cart by giving customers discounts on multiple product purchases. For example, offer 10% off on orders over $30 and increase discounts as they spend more. Or give them a percentage off when they purchase five or more of one item, and so on. People will push to get to the next discount level and walk away in appreciation of a great bargain.
Create a club.
Membership programs are extremely profitable and also create customer loyalty and longevity. A “soap and fragrance of the month” club will have customers anticipating their next automatic shipment. These programs work best when you give significant discounts in exchange for a long-term buying commitment of your products. There is something special about each and every month of the year, so don’t limit your seasonal items to the fall and winter holidays.
Add style to your site.
The human mind thinks in pictures so they sell far more than words do. Boring product images can only go so far; make your website a selling machine giving visitors an extraordinary visual experience. Show creative uses for your products: place card holders, stocking stuffers, gift toppers, and more. Insert lifestyle images and videos that demonstrate the joy that your products bring to the lives of many. Remember, video will do amazing things for your search engine optimization as well!
Don’t try to do everything at once. Choose the strategies that most resonate with you and make sure to market the heck out of them. Have fun with creative posts on Facebook and don’t forget about the incredible power of Pinterest and Instagram. I have seen businesses become successful overnight (literally) because of one image gone viral.
