Thinking differently can make this holiday season a big winner for your store

As retailers, we have all seen the traditional list for getting your store ready for the biggest retail season of the year, so here are some ideas to challenge you to think differently.

Display products in an unusual way. Today’s society is accustomed to fresh and outlandish ideas. Showcase your store this year by giving shoppers the gift of the unexpected. Pinterest could be your new best friend when looking for display ideas. Shop garage sales and pick up poinsettias and an extra Christmas tree (yes, this time of year is perfect to find bargains) and figure out a way to wow your customers with limited funds. Create excitement so your shoppers can’t wait to come back next year! Use your old props in different ways. Use color creatively. Who says Christmas can’t be lime green instead of evergreen? Put up an extra tree and decorate it uniquely that people can’t help but stop and look. Entice them. Follow up their “This display is great” comment with “Wait until you see what we are doing for Valentine’s Day and Easter!” I’ve added an old-fashioned wood sled, antique ice skates and a unique wreath this year—what’s in your attic or at your adult child’s house that you can use?

Change your thinking. Be intentional about markdowns. We all purchase items that don’t fly off the shelf, so give them a helping hand. Move them, mark them down or bundle them with something else. If your calendars aren’t moving, start at 10% off, then 20% off fairly early in the season to get them moving, depending on how you purchased them. If you take markdown credit from the vendor, this doesn’t apply. If you purchased at higher discount, the object is to have few remaining in January, same with boxed Christmas cards and ornaments. Minimize what needs to go 50% off the day after Christmas and protect your bottom line. Think ahead by taking notes and photographs of leftovers for next year so your ordering is more accurate. Try a two for $10 or two for $19.99 specials to get multiples to move. We only had 12 calendars that we had to mark down to 50% off this year; the rest sold at 25% off. We ran a 20% off special for all ornaments several weeks before Christmas because we felt we had too many.  Much better to sell them at 20% off than 50%!

Build on the family shopping experience. Suggest additional items that go well together. For instance, if mom is buying dad a Bible, suggest that son or daughter pick up a Bible cover or marking pens. If dad is buying a necklace for mom, suggest a music box from their son or daughter to go with it. Get creative. Our No. 1 suggestion for elderly relatives who don’t really need anything is a box of cards or fancy notes. Suggest a personalized or scriptured pen to go with them. Suggestions are big this time of year, so practice with your staff to make sure they embrace the concept—and feel comfortable using it. Suggest books in a series and recommend that they return for the next title for Valentine’s Day. Plant the seeds for a return trip! 

Showcase departments to optimize sales. The status quo isn’t working, so I am using this slower time of year to reset my store into more of a lifestyle setup. Stagnant sales may be due to a lack of energy focused on refreshing my store. My favorite grocery store took out a huge area of tall fixtures, replacing them with more fresh produce crates that have a lower profile.  It’s fun to shop, so why not carry that into my business as well? As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I think this concept holds true for our stores as well. Repurpose, reuse, repaint and refresh for more impact! It’s amazing how many people think you have new product, when all you’ve done is moved it to another location. A side benefit to shifting items around is that they get cleaned better and look fresher. The time to do it is now, not once the season is upon us. I’ll be glad to share pictures if you share yours.  I love getting fresh ideas from others!

Make a flexible but thoughtful plan. What can you do to generate new customers? My No. 1 technique has been to place a sideways or upside-down tiny ad in our local coupon booklet. Note the key words for these kinds of ads—inexpensive and large demographic. At Christmas, I place an ad for a “FREE GIFT FROM BENEATH OUR TREE.” Then I watch with amazement at how many people stop in to pick up a freebie. I purposely purchase closeouts for promotions throughout the year, and the leftovers are wrapped during the year and tossed in our Christmas box. Everything from promise books, bookmarks, necklaces, notecards and CDs are wrapped and ready. These items cost under 50 cents each, but result in goodwill and new customers. Yes, you get a few that stop by only for the gift, but it’s a win if they come into the store. I’ve even had people thank me with tears in their eyes because they didn’t have anything to give a loved one at Christmas. Lavish the love without breaking the bank! Think also of those vendor dollars available for advertising and how to use them. Research now how much is available, and make a plan to use them.

“Let us wrap it for you!” Consider offering gift wrapping for free. We move gift wrapping to the front of the store and offer only one type of wrap at Christmas. Men, especially, love to do one-stop shopping! I’m not sure anyone else in our town still offers this service; does anyone else do it in yours? Make your store stand out as the top place for gifts. Online won’t offer free gift wrap, and neither will Wal-Mart. Buy a huge roll in the off season, so for about $100, tape and a little labor, you can add the grand finale to your customers’ shopping experience. Be sure to get inexpensive adhesive bows. Hopefully you don’t have a lot of time to mess with tying ribbons! This is a crowd-pleaser. Free wrap can make even the discontented shopper smile!

Have gift cards at the ready. They’re a popular and easy gift when a shopper is uncertain what to choose. Be sure to stock them in a prominent location near your checkout. Having a nice little folder to put them in adds to the perceived value.

Focus on the true reason for rejoicing! What we do does make an eternal difference. Be light and salt in this dark world. We are here for a purpose. Let’s do our job well and bring glory to God by having stores that are welcoming to those who haven’t yet found Him, and embracing and encouraging places to those who have. My prayer for you is that God will provide everything you need this coming season, so that He is glorified.