A real golden month for businesses, December is coming and bringing with it its share of preparations. Unavoidable from a commercial and marketing point of view, the end of year celebrations are an opportunity for many to achieve a large part of the annual turnover. Inventory management, logistics, personnel... many elements must however be planned beforehand.
A successful strategy in this regard is based on preparation and foresight. It's not just about revamping your store window. An effective action plan combines technology, customer strategy, logistics, but also consumer knowledge.
Are you already prepared? Answer these different questions to find out.
A physical store plays a strategic role in building and strengthening your brand image. After all, it is a meeting place between your business and its customers. So, you might as well throw in the bag.
Moreover, every opportunity is good to mark the occasion. In particular, you can take advantage of the holidays to create a original retail space, while promoting your values.
The aim in this case is to keep the attention of prospects and customers, not to mention To instill the desire to buy. The secret is therefore to know how to translate offers into a store that is both captivating and aesthetic.
In this respect, a strategy that has been fully acclaimed in recent years is based on experiential marketing. It is a commercial device focused on the customer experience. The dramatization of your point of sale is thus the heart of this approach. In short, the aim will be to involve the consumer in the staging. Simply create a memorable journey by offering the ultimate sensory journey.
This step takes place at core of your inventory management and purchasing strategy. It will allow you to deal with sales peaks while ensuring the flow of commercial operations. But how can you make an assessment that is as accurate as possible?
A first solution is to establish a minimum stock level. It will count the products necessary for the smooth running of your activity. This solution may prove to be more advantageous at the start of business. However, better foresight is needed if this is not the case.
In addition, social networks offer immediate customer feedback. In addition to promoting Proximity between business and consumers, these channels are also perfect for communication actions.
So stay tuned to your community. Then create personalized offers to satisfy their desires, while planning your inventory management strategy at the same time.
Be that as it may, Anticipate the volume of products necessary depending on these various factors. This will prevent you from running out of stock. Or, on the contrary, to find yourself with an excess of orders that you could not fulfill.
Successful inventory management also takes into account availability of suppliers. As a general rule, they are in high demand during the holiday season. That's why it's always better to plan ahead.
Anticipating Christmas shopping intentions is an essential step when it comes to making the most of the holiday season. It can also play a decisive role in purchasing and inventory management. You would therefore be better equipped to deal with sales peaks. The challenges in this case are:
In order to provide the expected level of service, Four methods are available to you for stock management:
However, a particularly interesting solution consists in turning to artificial intelligence. Inventory management tools are also very numerous.
The various logistics management software available on the market today will then allow you to predict, automate and make the purchase order reliable. This allows optimal management of stocks. Even better: optimal monitoring guarantees that you are in accordance with the anti-waste law and the promotion of the circular economy.
December is the month of gifts. Consumers are looking for ways to have fun. So take advantage of it to maximize your sales. The ideal would be to start your commercial actions well in advance.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are, for example, an excellent opportunity in this regard. Then continue your efforts until the New Year. Especially since there is no shortage of special Christmas promotional ideas.
Among the most common practices, you will find among others:
Again, consider these actions when planning inventory management.
Digital transformation has now become essential for any business. Many shops are now equipped an e-commerce site in addition to their physical point of sale.
For example, you allow your customers to avoid the rush of stores in the middle of December. The health context has particularly reinforced consumers' distrust in going to stores and has thus accelerated the rise of e-commerce.
In reality, the advantages are multiple as evidenced by these figures from Fevad.
Source: Fevad (2021)
During the first quarter of 2021, an increase of nearly 15% would then have been observed on this channel. The sector would thus have recorded a turnover of up to nearly 30 billion euros according to the same statistics. Precisely for this reason, your brand has every interest in strengthening its online presence. This approach will complement your marketing and inventory management strategy very well.
If you do not yet have an online sales site, know that there is all-in-one software for that. For example, the e-commerce CMS — Shopify — represents an excellent platform to start with. It is also one of the most requested solutions to properly operate a virtual store. What does it have to offer you?
Moreover, if you already have an e-commerce site, don't forget either to make some changes in the run-up to the holidays. Your site should instill as much Christmas magic as your physical store.
Contact your web agency if necessary to help you. It could also be interesting to create a specially dedicated page during this period. It will be able to accommodate all the promotional offers, your flagship products as well as commercial actions that you propose.
In general, sales increase exponentially during the holiday season. As we have seen, many stores operate Ship from store deliveries in addition to in-store sales.
Predict a solution to facilitate the sending of packages is therefore essential. It's time for your business to retain as many customers as possible. So consider temporarily increasing the size of your team, if necessary.
In fact, set up a home delivery service proves to be very judicious. Internal management is still possible, but outsourcing promises you optimal order tracking as well as flexibility, especially during peak periods such as the end of year holidays.
While the holidays are a time for joy and good humor, it's actually quite a stressful time for consumers. Offering them as easy an experience as possible therefore remains a priority.
Using the services of professional delivery people can be a major asset. Shippr provides you with, for example 500 certified transporters, specialists in same-day delivery. The benefits for you?
Want to find out more? Get in touch with a Shippr business expert now.
Anticipating is certainly the key to the success of your sales during the holiday season. However, your efforts will be in vain if you don't heal your customer service. Inventory management, when it is effective, offers you in particular the possibility of avoiding stock shortages during peak periods. But for To ensure the flow of activity in your physical store, you must also have the necessary staff.
That's why a lot of businesses are launching massive recruitment campaigns to meet all needs. An excellent alternative in this regard is to offer fixed-term contracts or temporary contracts for this period, which is the busiest of the year.
Find out about partner companies like Shippr is another way to deal with these spikes in activity. In addition to helping you manage your end-of-year delivery flows, the company takes care of assigning you the number of deliverers you need.
Shippr takes care of briefing them so that they represent your brand to your customers at each of their deliveries and you did not have to do anything. Again, base yourself on your goals and expectations to judge the need for this approach.
Social networks occupy an important place in the world of digital marketing. According to figures published by Moderator's blog, 4.48 billion users of social networks have actually been registered. That's over half of the world's population. But it is still necessary to be able to take full advantage of it.
To do this, for example, use these channels to strengthen your communication campaigns. Do not neglect the visual aspect by putting your various business accounts in Christmas colors. As the holiday season lends itself very well to gifts, think also to create exclusive offers to reward your most loyal customers.
Likewise, organize competitions to animate your community. And finally, a good email marketing campaign will allow you to transmit important information about your offers for this season.
In any case, a reliable communication and marketing strategy will certainly offer you the opportunity to make the most of the holiday season.
The end of year holidays are fast approaching and businesses are already preparing for it. To understand requests and sales peaks, you can also set up a home delivery service.
Shippr makes it even easier for you by putting you in contact with more than 500 independent delivery people. While taking care of your deliveries from A to Z so that you can focus only on your sales in stores and online. Contact one of our business experts and take advantage of our services for success.
