The festive season is nearly upon us – and this is the ultimate season for you to plan your retail strategy. This is a key moment to engage with customers. Think of it as your annual profit-boosting opportunity. If you are unsure how to master your Christmas retailing, here are a few tips:
Strong Visual Merchandising
Think about having strong visual merchandising with your display. This will turn browsers into buyers. Catch their interest and motivate them to buy. Big ticket items should be displayed alone as ‘the star of the show’. Smaller items can look cluttered if they’re alone -always display them together.
Signs
Signs are important. They direct people to what they need quickly. Signs help with impulse buys. Always make sure you have clear prices, features and benefits. This will avoid any awkwardness at the till.
Colour Psychology
Silver and gold are both festive and luxurious. These colours are the right message for premium ranges at Christmas. Red is festive but has discount connotations – so it is better to use it sparingly. Read our blog all about colour in marketing.
Odd Numbers
In general odd numbers work best for retailing. Group products together in threes, fives and sevens. Remember to put them at eye-level. Put inexpensive last-minute retail items by the check-out to encourage spending. Remember not to group them in even numbers!
Retail Psychology
People tend to head to the right when they enter a store. Use this to your advantage. Visually-balanced displays encourage customers to buy – put darker colours at the bottom. Offer gift wrapping – this saves the client a job so they are more likely to buy.
Senses
Play with all the senses. Add festive smells like cinnamon cookies and play uplifting Christmassy music. Make sure you have more than one festive playlist so your clients don’t get bored.
Window Display
Think carefully about your window display – get it right and it will pull new clients in. Aim to create motion and think about festive lighting. Display big and small items so people can see when they are close – and far away. Think about layering the window and consider dressing your products up in festive décor. Think about hanging baubles or Christmassy ribbons from them.
Start planning early and you will get the right formula to make your clients want to spend. Master your Christmas retailing and give your profit an end-of-year boost.
