According to a recent forecast by Statista, UK retail sales during the 2023 Christmas period could amount to £84.9 billion. The data also revealed that over 50% of us will start shopping for the festive season before December begins.
However, consumers will still be affected by the financial strain caused by high inflation and interest rates, so businesses that offer good value could claim a larger market share.
With this information in mind, let’s explore how you can boost revenue during this seasonal boom in spending.
Define your goals
Firstly, decide what you hope to achieve during the Christmas rush. Do you want to launch a new product, sell off existing stock, or generate new leads to pursue in January?
Setting clear goals will ensure you focus your marketing budget on the appropriate strategies and distribution channels for the best results.
Schedule seasonal content
Once you have clear goals to work towards, create a content calendar to schedule everything from social media posts and blog articles to email campaigns and whatever else you feel will help build excitement and engagement with your business, brand, products, or services.
Although it may feel like a lot of work, pre-scheduling your content will free up time to deal with an influx of demand as you near the big day.
Prepare for higher demand
Is your business ready to respond to higher order numbers and website visits? Ensure you’ve planned your inventory and streamlined your payment processes to avoid losing customers because something is out of stock or they can’t pay immediately.
Likewise, pay attention to user experience. If high demand slows your website down or you haven’t optimised it for mobile view, you could put people off investing in your offerings.
Rebrand for the festive market
Refreshing your website, social media pages, online shops or high street shop front with festive imagery and Christmas cheer is an excellent way to attract customers eager to spend money. Don’t forget to highlight the products and services you want to promote in your graphics, imagery, pop-ups and displays.
Give a gift
The Christmas season is all about giving, so why not capitalise on the trend for value by offering customers something extra? Think discounts, sales, gift cards and vouchers, giveaways, competitions and free shipping.
Supporting a charitable or community cause could also boost your reach and reputation while helping others – a win-win for everyone involved.
Of course, it’s a good idea to collect data on current trends and your competitors’ strategies before launching your Christmas push. If you have metrics floating around from last year, incorporate them into your plans.
Lastly, don’t forget to take time for you and your staff to enjoy the festive period; a positive work environment will boost productivity and help everyone get into the right mindset for success. Merry marketing!
