In the last couple of posts, I shared some sales forecasts for the 2020 Holiday Sales Season. Today, I would like to continue posting tips from the experts on how to preparing for the holiday sales season during the challenges caused by the coronavirus.
First, I would like to share some information from the Practical Ecommerce website.
Tips for your business to implement now:
Business owners and managers can start answering these questions now to evaluate how the coronavirus might impact holiday shopping.
- Contact suppliers to ensure that inventory will be available. Identify potential inventory problems. Make purchases earlier when possible.
- Consider distribution options to counter another disruption in shipping or a second round of closures. Would it make sense to place some inventory now at fulfillment centers that are near customers?
- Connect with associations. Can your company collect helpful data from retail or business associations?
- Speak to customers. Ask a core group of customers about their shopping plans. What would they like to see from your store?
Marketing is always a critical component of holiday sales planning. With the current economic climate, some marketing venues and techniques have changed from previous years.
Small Business Trends suggests the following four channels when planning your marketing for the holiday season.
- Snapchat boomed to reach 90% of 13-24 year-olds in the US, more than Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger combined. It has over 190 million active daily users, but it’s still largely overlooked for marketing purposes…
- Branded utility (like coupons) refers to delivering value to consumers to create a relationship with them before you begin selling. It shifts marketing up a level by making it useful as well as entertaining…
- Email marketing is still effective when it’s done right… Consumers are looking for human, personalized communications that nurture their connection with your brand, although they also appreciate discounts. Demand for customized content and offers makes audience segmentation vital…
- Content marketing is great for your SEO, because it uses your keywords in context, and that pushes your website higher up the SERP and helps drive more organic traffic, but it also goes way beyond it. Content marketing engages, entertains, and interests your customers, opening up a conversation that could lead to a long-term friendship. Content that delivers value cements customers’ loyalty to your brand.
What, if anything, do you plan to do differently this holiday season to promote sales? If you are unsure, I suggest you read the two articles referenced above for more ideas.