https://www.bin-store.com/blog

It isn’t just seasonal retail stores which rely on holidays to make the majority of their sales during the year; even if you operate a department store which is open year-round, chances are that you make the most money during the fall and winter retail seasons. How can you make the most of this vital time of year? Here are some handy retail tips for the holidays!

1. Get started right away. Don’t wait until midseason to get your holiday retail displays set up! You can start as early as September for Halloween, and can integrate Thanksgiving décor any time in October. Start getting Christmas stuff ready in November. Stay ahead of the curve! Many of your customers are shopping early, and if you don’t snap them up, your competitors will.

2. Promote your holiday specials. Whether you’re selling seasonal items that will only be in stock part of the year or you are promoting special discounts and sales, advertise! Don’t rely on people walking into your store to find out about what you are offering. Reach out through newspaper ads, social media, email marketing, and other channels and let buyers know about your specials.

3. Enhance the holiday retail experience by creating an atmosphere. You can do this by creating seasonal retail displays. Look up holiday retail display ideas to find inspiration for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the winter holidays.

4. Don’t stop after setting up your seasonal window display ideas. Set up seasonal retail display props throughout your store. Use your décor to create a pathway of interest throughout your store. Use that path to highlight your sales and specials.

5. Go beyond the visuals. Look for other ways you can evoke the holidays. Setting out cinnamon sticks for example can help to evoke the scent of Thanksgiving. You can also put on festive music which gets customers in the mood. If you sell food, you can even offer free samples and treats to your customers. Remember, your customers are shopping for gifts for themselves or their family and friends. When you give, you get them in the mood to be generous too.

6. Help out last-minute shoppers. While some seasonal customers start their shopping for the holidays way in advance, there are always going to be droves of buyers who put everything off to the last minute. They buy their Halloween or Thanksgiving décor the night before, and purchase last minute Christmas gifts the week before the holiday. Help these customers out by offering them free gift-wrapping or delivery, easy returns, and product recommendations.

Setting up holiday window display ideas and getting everything ready for fall and winter takes a lot of time and effort, and may even require some overtime. Give the job of seasonal decorating to the employees who have the creativity and enthusiasm to fuel success. Let everyone in the store pitch in with ideas and turn decorating into a fun event. If your employees can embody the holiday spirit, it’ll be contagious, and your customers will catch it!