It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, not yet, but Christmas is definitely the most favorite holiday of the year for many people across the planet. The Christmas season formally begins with Black Friday and Cyber Monday for customers (We have already shared our marketing strategy ideas for those days). Although Christmas is celebrated on December 25, for businesses marketing campaigns should start earlier because customers would want their products to arrive till Christmas Eve. A study from RCS UK shows that 38% of buyers start doing their holiday shopping in October. So, you need to start preparing for Christmas, early.
Since customers everywhere will be browsing everything to decorate their homes and wrapping gifts, many companies can make more profit during Christmas than during the rest of the year.
So, how can you make Christmas season more profitable for your company? Here are 5 marketing strategies to try:
1- Christmas decoration: When it comes to Christmas, people want to feel the spirit of this special holiday. You need to add a festive flair to your brand by decorating your online/offline stores for Christmas. Anyone who visits your stores, websites, blog, or social media pages should know that Christmas is arriving. You can also temporarily update your logo, mobile app, email marketing etc. with a Christmas theme to get into the holiday spirit. While customers are decorating their homes, you decorate and celebrate the occasion along with them. This takes you closer to your customers and develops trust for your brand.
2- Create Christmas themed packaging: Let’s admit it, no matter how old we are, we all love opening gift packages. And Christmas mostly about gifting – during this time of the year, people buy gifts for their family and friends. For Christmas shopping, a gift-like Christmas themed packaging can be just as important as the quality of your products.
7 out of 10 shoppers claim that product packaging has an influence on their purchase decisions.
Offer your customers holiday-themed packaging or limited-edition packaging for Christmas shopping. This won’t just help you make more sales; it will also impact what your customers think about your brand. Plus, exclusive Christmas packaging helps you stand out from the competition.
3- Special Christmas edition items: Similar to Christmas themed packaging, you can also offer special Christmas edition items for your customers. During this time of the year, people love to buy things that bring a more festive spirit into their lives. Based on your industry, you can try two things, you can offer special, limited time Christmas edition products or you can change your products packaging for Christmas. For example, Starbucks changes their coffee cups design every year for Christmas. And stores like Sephora, Body Shop, Yves Rocher etc. launches new products only for Christmas, with all the Christmas smells.
Don’t forget, implementing a limited-time product line increases demand as the products become more desirable.
4- Send Printed or Digital Holiday Cards: Sending a greeting card to your loved ones for Christmas is an old and very lovely tradition. You can continue this tradition today in two ways; you can send them “Merry Christmas” emails (and you should definitely do that since its free) or you can send them physical holiday cards with their orders. When they receive a package from you and find out your simple yet thoughtful gift, they will feel special. Holiday cards are an easy way to increase customer loyalty. Thank them for being loyal customer, you can even provide them a special deal as well.
5- Promote Gift Cards: Not everyone is an expert of buying right gifts to loved ones, sometimes people just don’t know what to buy or don’t have enough time to search every option. This is where you can make their live easier: you can offer them gift cards. This way, they’ll allow their family and friends to buy what they love.
Don’t assume that your customers know about your gift cards and promote them wherever possible: in email newsletters, social media, or on your website… And you should also offer gift cards in different price ranges so buyers can pick the suitable one based on their budget.