When is the right time, as a retailer, to start planning Christmas?
Christmas means many things to many people. For retailers, it is the time of year that sees them at their busiest. And so it’s no surprise to find that any will have their festive plans detailed and ready to go by the summer. And that’s why trade shows like Christmas in July are so very popular.
Christmas sales & profit
For retailers, especially those in the toys, gift and clothing, will make the bulk of their profits at Christmas – in terms of figures, this works out to be around a third of their profit from the year, not bad when you consider how tightly packed the shopping season is.
Most people start their Christmas shopping in earnest in November and with Black Friday and Black Monday encouraging flash sales and impulses purchases, you can see the importance of getting your Christmas marketing and branding ready in the summer.
Why do retailers need to plan Christmas early?
#1 Optimise sales during hard economic trading conditions
In the UK – and many other countries – the current trading conditions for the high street and online retailer are tough, especially those who occupy the middle-price range.
Customers are always looking for a deal and this is no different at Christmas.
With a detailed Christmas marketing strategy, you can set the wheels in motion for branding, as well as choosing the products that you know your customers will love.
#2 Develop engaging Christmas marketing strategy and plan
Christmas is a busy time for everyone and so getting your marketing ready for launch in late October/early November is essential.
What this means is that you have the energy and time to focus on maximising sales every day in the run-up to the big day itself. From using posting schedules online for social media to designing and printing flyers and other offline material, a detailed marketing strategy is essential.
#3 Book a professional hire a Santa for festive events and promotions
Christmas is also the perfect opportunity to host events that attract more customers through the door. It also the time for charity events too and because the goodwill of the season affects most people, we tend to be more generous around this time too.
The opportune time to book your professional Santa and other festive performers is now, right in the middle of summer when everyone is enjoying strawberries and cream at
Wimbledon or lamenting the losses in the cricket.
Our professional Santas can be hired for events across the UK, and are well-versed in making the very best of Christmas in-store promotions and events.
#4 To get the branding right
No matter what size your business, whether you are a start-up or a high street staple, the importance of a good trading period in the run-up to Christmas cannot be underestimated.
In January each year, analysts release figures as to how well the high street did in terms of profit and sales. The last few years have been tough. Customers have less money in their pocket but are also turning to online sites for bargains.
Attracting people back to the high street is not just about money off and big sales but about events too. And who better to draw attention than the ho-ho-ho of a professional Santa?
