{photo by Wallyg of Bergdorf Goodman's holiday display in NYC}
The first week of November is coming to an end and the Holidays (with a capital H!) are now on the minds of many. Although the state of our economy is poor and this year is expected to be a hard one for retailers, big and small alike, I expect that you can still make the next month or so a profitable one- you just need to market your shop well for the holiday season and be prepared for the (hopeful) increase in traffic.
So, stop singing those holiday blues. It's time to spruce up your store, deck the virtual halls and prep yourself for the biggest shopping season of the year!
Show me the customers!
How
do you bring the customers in this time of year? Especially since most
of them are going to be shopping on a budget? Get out
there and make yourself known!
- Introduce yourself to blogs
This is not the time to be shy, if you have a shop, let us know about it! Have holiday specific items like holiday cards, calendars, gift wrap, ornaments? Be sure to point them out, we may include them in holiday guides! Have items that would make great gifts? For who? Tell us who your target customer is- if it matches our readership, you're more likely to get featured! Check out the prior references on how to contact blogs and a big list of blogs to contact to get started. - Advertise, advertise, advertise
As much as your own budget will allow, this is prime advertising season! If you don't already have ads in place, it's time to start contacting your favorite resources to see if they have spots open still. Take a peek at this past article on advertising outlets so you can be sure to have some ads running for December, at least! And check out these free advertising ideas if your budget is already spent, or you need some more promotion to supplement!
- Send out a newsletter
If you have a newsletter list, right about now is a good time to send one out! Start talking about your holiday items, offer a special incentive for your newsletter subscribers, remind folks that you exist and that you also happen to have some great gift items! Send another one early December, and perhaps another when you're nearing your shipping deadlines with a "3 days left to order, better act fast!" sort of reminder.
Show me the sales!
Good job! The customers found you, but how do you get them to buy??
- "Holiday-ize" your shop
Add some snowflakes, bring in the holly, light a few candles on the menorah- if you're ready for the holidays, show it! Customers want to know that they've found a shop that's updated frequently, that's currently selling seasonal items. Make it look like you care about the holidays as much as they do, just like a brick and mortar shop would create seasonal displays. Update your shop banner! If you make holiday specific items like cards, gift wrap, etc. highlight them upfront! - Work on getting your stock up
Get those little fingers cranking away so that your shop can be filled with great stuff by Thanksgiving weekend! Most likely, once people start buying, you're not going to have as much time to make and list new items, so start stocking those virtual shelves now so you can focus on packing, shipping and keeping customers happy during December!
- Everything you sell can be a gift!
Remember, at this time of year, you are selling gifts! Think like a shopper, make it easy for them to see your items as the perfect gift for their loved ones. Get them into the gift giving mood! If you have your own website, make a gift guide highlighting your favorite items and who'd they'd be perfect for (like Shanalogic does every year.) If you have an etsy or dawanda shop, make gift specific categories, like "cozy knit gifts" or "gifts under $25". Update your product descriptions with "would make a great gift for..." type wording. Think gifting!
- Offer an incentive with purchase
The holiday season is always super competitive, but this year is expected to be even harder than most to sell things without some sort of incentive. Even the big box stores are gearing up with big discounts! What will make a shopper choose you, over your competitors? Can you offer free shipping? Free gift wrap with an order? A % off discount? A free gift included with an order? Think of things that will entice new customers who stop by your shop to place an order...they're going to be looking for deals! Skimming a little off your profit margin may actually result in more sales for you!
- Offer gift certificates
If you have a way to offer gift certificates in your shop, it's a awesome idea! They make great gifts for picky recipients, are easy to ship (via email is standard now!) and you get money upfront with virtually no work. It's one of the easiest sales that you can have come holiday time! Offer them if you can!
Show me the little elves that help me with all this stuff!
Alas,
most of us do not have elves to come help us with this stressful (yet
hopefully successful) selling season. You can, however, help yourself
by being prepared!
- Figure out your shipping deadlines
First things first: grab the calendar and figure out what is the latest date you will be able to accept orders to get them out in time for Christmas delivery. Factor in your shipping method with room for error (usps, ups and fed/ex all have shipping calendars online to help you out), how long it will take you to pack up and ship an order, if you create things upon order vs. already made items... all these things will affect your ability to ship things out in time. Figure it out now to save yourself a lot of stress and hassle down the road come Dec 15th. Starting Dec, be sure to state upfront on your site what those deadlines are so customers know! Also, you might consider offering shipping insurance for an additional fee. And don't forget about int'l shipping deadlines, too!
- Have your policies in place
Make sure you have your return policy, shipping deadlines and responsibility for lost packages clearly worked out and stated in your shop. When dealing with disgruntled customers, they'll need to know where you stand. Of course, you'll have to deal with situations as they come, but having the policies stated upfront can help guide and protect you if something goes wrong.
- Serve those customers well
Your customers may be stressed out, you may be stressed out, but be sure to handle everything with utmost attention. Be very communicative with your customers- let them know you've received their order and when they can expect it will be shipped out. Communication and kindness are key to keeping customers happy this time of year, and can help keep things running smoothly.
Also, get prepared now to give your holiday packages some extra attention: wrap your items up extra pretty, write out some thank you notes to include with orders, buy or make some cute seasonal gifties that can brighten your customers' day. The better you can serve your customers at this time of year, the more likely they are to come back and shop with you again!
Hopefully these tips can help you have a happily successful holiday season! They're all things I've done in the past, so I know they do work! If you have more tips of things that have worked well for you in prepping for the holiday season, please share them in the comments below.
Good luck this season, everyone! Here's hoping even more people buy handmade this year!
