3 THINGS RETAILERS NEED TO DO TO PREPARE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
When the summer starts to lose its color and the leaves start falling from the trees, consumers start thinking about shopping for the holidays. There will be plenty of people complaining on social media about how the stores set up their holiday decorations too soon, but those same consumers are still going to venture into the retail world to start stocking up for the busiest shopping season of the year.
Retailers have had a tenuous relationship with the holidays for a long time. When Black Friday was first introduced, it was a great way for shoppers to have a little fun by cashing in on bargains in the early morning hours on the day after Thanksgiving. It was also a way for retailers to start off the holiday shopping season with big revenue numbers. But Black Friday has morphed into a beast that is starting to give the retail world a bad name, and many retailers are starting to distance themselves from the whole idea.
While Black Friday is falling out of favor with some retailers, there are still steps retailers need to take to get ready for holiday shopping. Smart retailers ignore the complaints on social media, and take the necessary steps to cash in on the most significant shopping season of the year.
Start Early
As soon as the leaves start to turn and the kids go back to school, most people’s thoughts turn to the holidays. The majority of people who complain about holiday shopping are the ones who consider it to be a chore for one reason or the other. But even the complainers are looking for deals during the most wonderful time of the year, and they are also looking for the essentials they will need for Halloween and Thanksgiving.
The key is to remember that “the holidays” for retailers starts before Halloween and ends after New Year’s Day. Prior to Halloween, families get excited at the Halloween displays, and then the kids get excited when those Halloween displays morph into Christmas decorations. For a retailer, this is a magical time when being one of the first stores to start offering holiday deals means being the store that people will remember for all of their holiday shopping needs.
Increase Customer Service
People can buy products at any retail store, but it is difficult to get good service during the holidays. You need to add seasonal workers to your staff who will work the sales floor offering assistance to shoppers. You can add features such as a gift concierge service, gift wrapping and layaway to make your store the only place people will want to go when they need to do their holiday shopping.
Get Into The Spirit
Encourage your employees to get into the spirit of each holiday by wearing Halloween costumes and Christmas apparel as each holiday approaches. When customers walk through the doors of your store, you want them to feel like the holidays are happening at your retail location. Aside from the decorations on the walls and the products on the shelves, the best way to get people in the mood to spend money during the holidays is to make them feel like the entire store is a holiday wonderland.
For retailers, the holiday spirit means making a majority of their revenue in a three-month span. It is the biggest shopping season of the year, but it is also the most competitive. In order to take in as much holiday revenue as possible, retailers need to have the right timing and dedication to create the feeling that their company is the only place to shop for the holidays.