It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
As of the 16th September, the Big Day is only 100 days away. And whilst Christmas shopping may not be on your customers’ minds just yet, it won’t be long before thoughts turn to those endless Christmas lists, and the orders start rolling in.
Even with financial concerns and tightened budgets, Britons spent over £20 billion on gifts in 2022, and £12 billion on food and groceries to keep the season merry and well fed. If you want to claim your piece of that festive financial pie, you need to get your Christmas marketing locked down ASAP for maximum impact and good reach in time for the peak shopping period.
Think S.M.A.R.T.
Your very first step needs to be the SMART acronym: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Based. An oldie, but a goodie, using SMART as a framework for your goals will provide a clear focus and objective for your marketing. Pick a target and build round it, whether that’s improved profits compared to last year’s take, a higher number of orders across the festive season, or even increased reach through social media channels. It will keep your marketing tight and focussed, and encourage a stronger user journey.
Get your timing right
Over the last few years, influenced by shopping habits in the US, Halloween has become the unofficial boundary marker for Christmas. As the clock strikes midnight on 31st October, and those ghosts and ghouls retire to bed, the focus switches firmly to Christmas and the marketing machine churns into action. Although Christmas is technically still two months away, the big brands are already pressing the launch buttons for their campaigns; John Lewis usually releases their anticipated Christmas Advert around the second Friday in November, and Liberty London usually have their Christmas windows ready for reveal around the middle of the month. Don’t be caught napping.
Capitalise on shopping habits
You might want to push your main product line this Christmas, and that’s fine, but don’t underestimate the revenue you can collect through ‘stocking fillers’ and impulse items. Up to 80% of shoppers have admitted to impulse buying, and this part of the UX is never stronger than at Christmas. Remember to include complementary items, bundle offers, and add-on products in your strategy; keep them by the tills in your store, and add a ‘you may also like’ footer to your product pages on your e-commerce outlets to get those baskets filled before checkout.
Double down for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
Keep something extra special in your pocket for Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday to add a little boost to your Christmas sales. It can be a long 8 weeks to Christmas, so planning a Black Friday or Cyber Monday event can give your sales figures a mid-campaign boost. Consider value to the consumer, and tempt them with something that feels ‘weighty’ - like a limited time discount code (at least 10% or more), or a free gift with every purchase for 24 hours. Free delivery over this one weekend is also a great incentive to invigorate sales.
Get the message out there
Window displays and updated website graphics set the scene, but now’s not the time to sit and wait for people to notice you. Get your message out to prospective and returning customers with email blasts, social media posts, and banner adverts. When space is at a premium, keep things visual, and when you have room to spell it out, be succinct. A good agency is your best friend here, as creating multiple format digital assets can be incredibly time consuming if you don’t have the right processes set up. Get in touch with a professional now and get those assets created ready for launch across all your platforms.
Keep in touch
A customer is for life, not just for Christmas. Use connected packaging to extend the user journey past purchase by offering extra digital content, or prompt with social media hashtags to encourage organic engagement post-purchase. Remember, if Christmas is 100 days away, then the January sales are 107 days away, and counting down!
