Are you a retailer and you are worried about slow and low sales numbers going into the holiday season? Take it from our team, November isn’t the month you think of warm drinks and cozy sweaters, think of November as your official launch month for the entire holiday shopping season, contact us now and let us show you how you can cash in!
For our retailing clients, this is when you set the tone for your biggest revenue months. It’s tempting to focus only on Thanksgiving, but the real money is in the weekend after Thanksgiving. Here’s our 3 pointer for your game plan to maximize growth, goodwill, and sales this November.
1. Master the Big Shopping Weekend
The period from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, culminating in Small Business Saturday, is the retailers’ Super Bowl. Don’t wait until the last minute, start your promotions NOW!
- Plan Your Promotions NOW!
- Decide on your offer, what are the deals you will offer your customers for Black Friday (deep discounts or door busters)?
- Small Business Saturday keep the focus on any local, in-store, or personalized service you can offer customers.
- Cyber Monday can you offer online-exclusive deals or free shipping to your customers? We say go for it!
- Segment Your Emails. Start sending those “teaser” sales copy email, headlines as “sneak peek” should be going out to your most loyal customers starting mid-November. This will be rewarding when you see the open rate numbers from these campaigns. These emails to customers, they help you build an early hype for your product or service.
- The Power of Small Business Saturday. This is your best day to shine.
- Collaborate! (Read our blog on how to collaborate) … and do so with local partners. Partner with a neighboring small business for a joint promotion, a giveaway, or a shared social media campaign.
- Share Your Story. Post on social media about why shopping small matters. Show behind-the-scenes pics of your team, your process, your community impact. People buy from real people, not just businesses.
2. Gratitude and Goodwill
November is about giving thanks, its national gratitude month; say thank you, this is a perfect way to connect with your customers beyond a transaction.
- On Veterans Day if it’s appropriate for your business, offer a special discount or free service to veterans and active military personnel as a sincere thank you.
- Show real appreciation for your customers. Send a heartfelt email on Thanksgiving Day (or the day before) simply thanking your customers for their support throughout the year. No sales pitch needed, just genuine gratitude.
- Start your own version of Giving Tuesday! Create a plan. This is technically a December event but you gotto plan for sales, right? So, November is when you start to plan. Choose your fave local charity and announce to your customers that a percentage of your sales, (post-Thanksgiving or say a day you choose) will be donated to the charity. This makes customers want to support you and the charity.
3. Content Wins the Day
Keep your digital presence up-to-date and your operations running smooth.
- Update Holiday Hours. Post your special Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday hours clearly on your Google Business Profile, website, and social media.
- Create a Gift Guide. Help stressed shoppers by curating a simple “Top 10 Gifts Under $XX” or “Perfect Stocking Stuffers” guide featuring your products/services. Share it as a blog post, a social carousel, and in an email to customers.
- Ready Your Online Store. Test your website (speed and checkout process). The number one reason for abandoned carts during peak season is a complicated checkout process. Simplify it now!
November is your runway. Get your holiday promotions planned early, express genuine gratitude, and set your online house in order, you can make this November your most profitable month yet!
