Christmas is right around the corner, and your business needs to be prepared. From decorating your brick-and-mortar store to making your business a hot-spot for shoppers, to even making the behind-the-scenes experience more festive, there are many great ways you can boost your business, so start with these top five tips:
Decorate for Shoppers and for Employees
Get your whole team in on the Christmas cheer by decorating your behind-the-scenes location (break room or office) as well as any customer-facing locations. There are so many unique ways to decorate while simultaneously boosting your business as well. For example, if your business is a store, you can partner with local artists and buy a stock of truly unique Christmas decorations that you put up for decoration and sale. Then, have a small tree next to checkout with Christmas baubles, and you can add just that extra bit to the final sale (the same way grocery stores put gum and chocolates next to checkout).
Give Back
Everyone is more charitable and giving around Christmas. This has been studied up and down, from the streets to the highest echelons of society. Setting up a charitable program for Christmas is an excellent way to support your community (local and global) and to also improve your business’ own image during this festive season. How you give back is up to you and what you have time to plan. It could be a charitable contribution to a charity or cause, it could be a fundraiser, and you can focus on more than one at a time. A small business, for example, can easily advertise local community actions and fundraisers to help advertise these good works to their customers while also having their own program.
Offer Gifts at Different Price Points
One of the best ways to boost Christmas sales is to offer products at various price points. Luxury brands, for example, can easily offer small card wallets, luggage tags, and the like at a price point designed for those who typically would never be able to shop at their stores. The same goes for small businesses; have a luxury line that is normally out of the normal price range of your customers so that they have an option to splurge on a loved one (or themselves) during Christmas.
Offer A Unique Christmas Experience
Do you want customers actively visiting your store instead of popping in as they walk by? You offer them something unique. This could be a ceiling full of Christmas baubles. It could be a secret Santa experience or special advent calendar deals. By offering something unique, you can then encourage local news sites and accounts to advertise your business on your behalf, similar to how a charity event will also get your name in the news and help win over potential customers to your store.
Don’t Neglect Your Digital Presence
From your online store to your social media, you cannot neglect your digital presence. Everything should be decked out for Christmas, and you need to use every trick in the book to encourage shares and engagement on social media and increase sales on your website. Many are very busy during the season, so offering easy shopping options online can help take the stress out of the season.
