I generally don’t like discounting and try to stay away from it as much as possible. But during the holidays, which can be overwhelmingly busy compared with the rest of the year, I’ve found that offering a couple of strategically planned promotions can help somewhat to lessen the burden of the holiday rush and maximize sales during this busy time of year.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I love analyzing my sales data and using it to help me plan my time and make business decisions. Over the past few years, I’ve found that my weekly sales in the second half of November are 3 times an average week during the rest of the year. In an effort to spread out those sales a little bit and encourage customers to place their orders during the first week of November, I offer a Shop Early + Save promotion, discounting holiday items, teacher gifts, and calendars.
This year I also offered free shipping in the US (discounted shipping everywhere else) through 11/4, which was really well received.
I’ve also noticed that sales slow down in December as customers stop shopping online for personalized gifts and do more shopping in brick and mortar stores. So that’s when I offer a free gift with purchase to my Facebook fans and mailing list subscribers. Of course it’s also a nice way to say thank you to my loyal customers and something that I enjoy doing during this time of year.
If anyone has any other tips for surviving the holiday rush, please leave a comment – I’d love to hear them!
