Black Friday has come and gone, but in a few weeks, you’ll have shoppers from the opposite end of the spectrum – latecomers who waited until the last minute to seek out the perfect gift. But for the weeks in between these two high-traffic periods, some retailers may see a lull in sales, which can be frustrating to say the least. Here are some ideas to help you keep sales flowing in late November and early to mid-December.
Host your own shopping holiday
The Friday and Monday after Thanksgiving have already been assigned their own shopping holidays, but that leaves a bunch of other days that you can use to push your own sales. Clothing retailers can have a “Scarf Sale Saturday.” Other retailers may want to bring out their jewelry displays and host a “Fashion Jewelry Friday!” The possibilities are practically endless, so put on your creative thinking cap and get to work. You’ll need to start promoting now to take advantage of this idea.
Use the time to revamp your store
If you do find yourself in the midst of a lull, you can help amp things up by taking the extra time to revamp your store. Shoppers will be thrilled if they return to your store near Christmas day to find that it’s taken on a completely different look since Black Friday. Swap out your store fixtures for something new, and pull out all of the bulk retail supplies that you have yet to work into your displays.
Offer special treats
If you really want to draw customers in the door, you’ll have to go above and beyond with what you’re offering during these crucial days of the holiday season. Offering special, free winter treats can help get shoppers in the buying spirit, even if it’s not during one of the crunch times of the year. For instance, consider hosting a community Christmas party in your store complete with carol singing, cookies and hot chocolate. Make sure that when the day arrives, you have some of your hottest seasonal items prominently displayed so consumers who are celebrating will leap at the opportunity to do a bit of gift buying as well.
