Set the Stage for a Successful Holiday Sales Season

The holidays are a peak sales cycle in retail. Scheduling sales promotions to coincide with such periods of high consumer interest can help bring in new customers and increase interactions with your existing customer base.?

The retail landscape has undergone many changes in the last few years. By looking at outcomes from past holidays, retailers can set the stage for a successful holiday this year. Here are a few most important insights from the past and a couple of predictions for this year that can help you have a successful holiday season.?

Start Seasonal Promotions Early

In 2021, 61% of holiday shoppers were on the hunt for their gifts in early November. Many consumers expect that retailers will begin their seasonal promotions in October or before. This represents a shift from the traditional Thanksgiving/Black Friday kickoff to the sales season.?

New PCs have already hit store shelves, and they provide you with increased opportunities to get a jump on the season and your competition.?

Getting an early start on your holiday promotions, sales, and marketing campaigns can generate added foot traffic and increased sales compared to competitors who get a later start.?

Deliver Unexpected Special Deals

Saving some special deals for after the Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekends can be a big draw. Offering promotions during the week is a great way to increase foot traffic and delight shoppers who prefer to bypass busier days such as Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Last year, 65% of holiday shoppers planned to shop the week after Christmas. Research for this year indicates that up to 50% of shoppers will wait until Black Friday or Cyber Monday to even start thinking about buying laptops, gaming consoles, and other electronics. Offer targeted deals during this time to get people in-store.

Understand the Seasons within the Season?

Certain products can be more popular at specific periods of the holiday shopping season. As stated above, Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday are when many begin looking for computers, gaming consoles, and other electronics.

High-ticket items and gadgets are often in demand from Thanksgiving through the middle of December. Stocking stuffers and personal services were also popular during this time leading up to the holidays.?

By adjusting promotions and sales to correlate with these mini-seasons, you can achieve higher sales and more foot traffic.?

Deliver the Experience Holiday Shoppers Want and Need

Nearly 80% of total retail sales were made in-store last holiday. Hopes are high for a repeat this year. One of the best ways to stand out from the competition is to deliver meaningful shopping experiences. The key to doing that is having knowledgeable sales associates.

Your sales associates represent the front line of your brand and are often the sole point of contact that customers have with your store. By providing them with the right training and motivation, associates can create unique customer experiences and compelling reasons for in-store shopping.

Prepare your Sales Team for the Holiday Cycle

Is your sales team ready for holiday shoppers? To ensure they know the latest about the computers powered by Intel, encourage your associates to participate in the Intel? Retail Edge Program.

With interactive lessons, microlearning modules, and plenty of ways to stay engaged, your associates can improve their sales skills and help increase their ability to create great customer experiences for those shopping for the latest desktops and laptops. It's a win-win scenario that will help you make the most of this holiday season.

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?This article originally appeared on the Intel? Retail Edge Program.

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