To successfully get through the
holiday season, a company has to plan early and pay attention to industry
trends.
Image Credits: http://diyjoy.com/diy-christmas-gifts
Christmas is a season which has thrived
with many innovations from couriered gifts, e-gifting to a diverse range of
mobile options, all of which have greatly contributed to the expansion of
sales.
Gone are the days where retail items
are simply purchased at last minute during the festive season. Not only are cohesive,
thoughtful strategies becoming a necessity in an increasingly fragmented and
complicated marketplace, today, lessons learnt from past years are also revolutionizing
the way industry leaders in the retail industry achieve demonstrable results.
This not only provides retailers with
a measurable insight of their business in terms of impact such as increased revenues,
margins, potential and future sales but also a decrease in returned merchandise
in both the short and long term.
Here are 6 lessons which industry
leaders have learnt from the 2015 Christmas season to successfully get through
the holiday season:
1.Setting Realistic Shipping and Courier Expectations
Image Credits: http://specialevents.com
Planning a successful Christmas’
marketing strategy? One successful component is setting realistic
expectations—for retailers, consumers, carriers, and the shipping community.
Like consumers, businesses want
real-time services where they are able to ensure that their consumers receive
the things they purchased on time by Christmas Eve.
Nevertheless, there will always still
be retailers expecting to be able to ship something on December 22 or 23 and
want to give the consumer superior customer experience just to make more sales
and keep customers happy when it is pretty clear that certain things are out of
everyone’s control. These include weather conditions, fuel, early closure of
shipping or courier businesses till Christmas is over, and long shipping times
that ultimately result in late deliveries after Christmas (especially if your
goods are shipped from overseas).
Zap Delivery’s Tip:
Shippers and carriers should be
setting out expectations and requirements in Q2 or early Q3 at the latest. Be
honest about the volume you can handle and perform at a level that meets
expectations during the festive periods. Anticipate volume increases and
prepare for extra staff deployment accordingly so that you will not overcommit
or sell resources which you can’t perform.
2. Timing Is Everything
Image Credits: http://www.nanigans.com
From flower bouquets, wines and
Christmas dinner buffets to watches and jewelry, it is critical to begin
advertising your merchandise by mid-October. Well-prepared Christmas shoppers tend
to begin their gift and celebration hunts in November with almost two-thirds of
them buying their last gift in the week of Christmas. With both the Black Friday and Cyber
Monday taking place around the world in November, that’s a whole lot of reasons
to advertise and attract your Christmas shoppers!
Zap Delivery’s Tip:
Prepare your target audience by
keeping them well aware of upcoming festive promotions and releases by
Mid-October or first week of November so they can discuss with their family and
loved ones about gift and celebration plans.
3. Real-time Inventory Management
Unlike other periods of the year, consumers
expect retailers to be more relevant and accurate than other months during the
Christmas season. When your inventory isn’t sufficient or relevant, your target
audience will steer clear of your store or online business to avoid the risk of
unsuitable items or items not being available.
Zap Delivery’s Tip:
Plan for relevant or new merchandise
release and implement marketing strategies as early as 1st quarter
of the year and have them ready by 3rd quarter!
4. Having The Right Designs And Assortment
Image
Credits: http://www.starbucks.com/promo/starbucks-card-collection
When it comes to purchasing merchandise during
the Christmas season, shoppers are always looking for fresh alternatives and
new options. Providing new designs and new assortments of products throughout
the year is key to generating impact, sales and fulfilling customers’ constant
quest for fresh options. Consumers generally associate the products they
purchase with the occasion they are celebrating. The stronger the association,
the greater the perceived value for the consumer! An excellent marketing approach
used by many big brands. The difference in collections and themes every season
explains it all.
Zap
Delivery’s Tip:
Ensure you have the right assortment of merchandise
for any occasion to drive sales and online/foot traffic, as well as designs
that align with your brand’s look and feel.
Alternatively, increase the perceived value
and personality of your merchandise with packaging, attributes and carriers.
Attractive packaging can make the experience
of giving and receiving gifts more personal for your customers!
5. Clear Signage
Image Credits: http://attorney-law-firms.com/funny-christmas-gifts-for-men.html
As clear signage and banners have
become a key component in driving loyalty and building brand awareness in
recent years, retailers need to ensure they communicate the value of their
merchandise effectively using in-store signage and online banners. By
highlighting your merchandise assortment, benefits, e-gifting and courier
service options, rewards and special offers clearly in impactful signage and
banners, your shoppers are likely to take note and act upon the way you wish
they do.
Zap Delivery’s Tip:
Display your gift guide signage and
banners, as well as gift cards (physical and e-version) in multiple locations throughout
the store or website. When shoppers can’t
find the right gift, they often turn to your gift guide or gift cards.
Alternatively, you can also make your
signage memorable by placing signage at eye level or below where shoppers are
most likely to take note. Ensure that the signage is clear, concise and is able
to highlight benefits quickly to the consumer.
If you have an e-gifting program, try
promoting them in-store or online to build awareness of your e-gifting platform
through signage and messaging.
6. Add Review and Social Content to Your In-Store & Online-Store
Experience
Image Credits: http://www.businessinsider.com
If you are retailer, you will know
that Pinterest is a heavenly tool to have! Why? Because it’s always easier to
make a sale when a product is endorsed or recommended by the shopper’s
community!
As we get into the holiday season,
retailers and brands around the world are not just using Pinterest accounts to
pique the interests of their potential customers, but also in-stores as well as
on websites to help those who may be running short on gift ideas, thus
increasing shopping experience.
Imagine an online catalogue with
products completely curated from Pinterest or coming across a “Most Pinned” item
along with in-store review contents at the store you are in. Not only does it generate
excitement and ignite your desire to purchase, you are also more likely to pay
more attention to these “Most Pinned” and “Reviewed” items than any others.
Zap Delivery’s Tip:
Need a jumpstart on items that could
increase your sales figures during the Christmas season? Head over to Pinterest for inspirations as
well as top trends and products of the year!
CONNECT WITH ZAP DELIVERY FOR FAST CORPORATE DELIVERIES TODAY!
Looking for a reliable courier
company which can help you deliver your customers’ parcels during the Christmas
season and other periods of the year? We can definitely help put smiles on your
customers with our super fast and trackable deliveries! Contact our Zap
Delivery Corporate Sales Managers for a discussion and we will take care of all
your delivery needs!
This post is brought to you by Zap
Delivery.
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