During the holidays, everyone is in a frenzy to either purchase gifts or simply enjoy great deals. On the other side, retailers are fighting for visibility amongst the rest of the competition. It can feel like a chaotic time of year. However, if you’re methodical in your approach, you can increase sales during the holidays with ease. In order to develop a strong strategy, consider these tips.
1. Provide Free Shipping
Thanks to major retailers like Amazon, free shipping is often viewed as the standard. When a company doesn’t provide free shipping, it’s not uncommon for people to completely leave the items in their online cart and move on. Just work the shipping costs into the margin.
2. Upselling
If you sell a great pair of gloves, upsell the customer by creating a feature that shows them the matching hat and scarf. Pair multiple items together to increase the amount you sell at one time.
3. Text Messaging Campaigns
Studies show that people use their phones for at least three hours and 15 minutes throughout any given day. Especially since countless people scroll through social media apps and text messages, it’s really easy to connect with your potential customer through their phones. By sharing the latest sale or the newest stock of items through a mass texting service, you’ll increase your chances of increasing your visibility. In turn, this leads to an increase in sales.
4. Influencer Campaigns
Influencer marketing shows no signs of stopping. To truly remain visible, establish brand partnerships with influencers within your niche. If your company sells maternity clothing, connect with fashion influencers who are also expecting it. It’s a very specific niche, but when you tap into your target audience, the sales can potentially roll in. The right partnership also helps to secure an authentic sale.
5. UGC Campaigns
UGC stands for user-generated content. In the digital age, content is still considered king. To stand out, you’ll need to produce an incredibly large amount of content for platforms like Instagram and YouTube. It can be understandably exhausting. This is why it’s such a great idea to partner with small content creators who are willing to produce the content for you. These creators don’t usually have large followings (some do). They’re simply in the business of creating content that you can use on your platform and throughout your ads. Even beyond the holiday season, UGC campaigns are wise to incorporate in order to boost sales.
6. Holiday Newsletters
Whether it was the department store catalog or the holiday newsletter in your inbox, most people love to receive a large collection of items they can potentially buy. This strategy is one of the oldest yet most effective to consider.
Depending on the number of items your company offers, create a beautiful catalog that you can send to customers through the mail. Snail mail is always delightful to receive. It’s also an excellent offline strategy to use. Also, send e-newsletters to the inboxes of those on your email list. Make sure the subject line makes people want to click through and enjoy the visuals.
7. Countdowns
Many major retailers do an excellent job of creating urgency with their sales. They provide deadlines. When a person sees that they have until midnight to enjoy 50% off of their future purchases, this effort creates urgency and exclusivity.
Who doesn’t want to miss out on a sale? Run sales throughout the week. On Monday, you can offer 30% off of one product line in the store. On another day, offer 40% off. When people see a deadline, this increases their chances of quickly buying.
8. Social Media Ads
Though Facebook and Instagram tend to be the beloved favorites for running ads, there’s a new contender in town: TikTok. TikTok statistics showcase its quick rise to the top as more people continue to download the app. Don’t simply toss it to the side as an app for Generation Z. People of all ages love TikTok. Running the right types of ads can lead to a major boost in sales.
Bottom Line
As you work through these tips, consider which ones will be the most applicable to your business. Also, consider the context of what you sell. Everyone is online so you can’t go wrong with digital marketing strategies. However, don’t forget about offline strategies as well. When you curate the strategy to your personal brand and context, you’ll increase your chances of watching sales spike through the holidays.
