Top tips to increase Christmas in-store sales

Product promotions are at their peak at Christmas. This is when everyone wants to capture consumer interest. Companies will do anything to attract attention.

With shoppers actively seeking new and interesting ideas for gifts or products to use over the Christmas season, they are very open to such marketing activity.

Businesses need to plan ahead for this key buying season, thinking long term as well as providing last minute solutions.

Create a daily promotional calendar

Provide a different promotion each day. It keeps interest alive. Customers are encouraged to look for your emails and daily social media reminders when they are going shopping.

Make the promotions as varied as possible. Some might be purely sales orientated, while others could focus on highlighting your brand. Add some special offers such as:

• Product discounts
• Holiday recipes
• Tips for gift buying
• Present wrapping

Provide some gift buying guides

When hunting for the perfect present, people are open to ideas. Create a gift guide suggesting presents for everyone in the family from pets to grandparents. Give customers copies of the guide whenever they enter the store. It could provide the answers they desperately need.

Sampling

If selling special food and drink – provide some samples. This always catches people’s attention. Everyone likes trying something new and it can prove to be the key reason why they choose a specific product.

Instant prizes

Spin a wheel or try a blind drawing to win freebies or product discounts. Everyone likes getting something for free, and it provides a fun way to communicate with customers. Make the freebies unique to your store so that they will remember the name.

Upsell as often as you can

Make sure your promotional staff are ready to upsell and encourage people to buy something extra or of higher quality. Suggesting complementary products from the range – and having examples to show – can encourage additional purchases.

Offer access online discounts

Find out if customers have a discount coupon available. If not, point out they can get one online.

You don’t have to advertise and constantly stress your brand to create a successful Christmas promotion. Simply giving people something they will value such as lower prices, shopping help can be sufficient to capture those extra festive sales.