6 Ways to Engage Customers This Holiday Season

The start of the ‘ber’ months signals the beginning of the holiday season—a.k.a. every retailer’s chance to push, promote, and profit. So if you’re looking for some fresh marketing ideas to help you attract and engage your target audience to do their holiday shopping from your store, read on.

Arm yourself with the right tactics to profit this holiday season

(image by Nicholas Jones, [CC BY 2.0], via Flickr)

Get Personal

“For the minimalist chic lover,” “For the tech-savvy woman,” “For the lady on the go”—these are just some of the concepts that you could use to make the shopping experience at your boutique more personal and appealing for your target market. Instead of merely promoting a “Huge Holiday Blowout” in your festive media campaigns, go for something more specific and shine the spotlight on standout merchandise that fits that certain theme. With hundreds of choices on the market, consumers will appreciate the carefully edited product selections that you prepare for them.

Make It Special, Yet Simple

Keeping your ads clear and concise can attract more customers than going for a general promotion thinking that it would cater to a wider audience. So for example, if you’re offering a gift with a purchase, don’t force your clients to jump through hoops by expecting them to follow complicated procedures or comply with dozens of requirements just to get that one free item. Make the goal challenging, but attainable. And don’t forget to keep the process fun!

Stand out in a sea of social media and e-mail promos by taking the time to prepare a clear game plan for your boutique

Give Them a Reason to Return

Chances are that your boutique is just one of the many stops for customers on their quest to snatch the best buys this season. Encourage them to come back for another round of shopping by giving out incentives, like discount coupons that they can use on their next visit. To boost store sales post the holiday craze, you could entice your customers to return after the New Year’s by making some of your special offers valid in January only.

Leverage E-mail Marketing

Newsletters and e-mail promotions are among the most popular digital marketing mediums, so use them to your advantage. From the subject line, the graphics and the content to optimizing the layout for mobile devices and scheduling – think of things that could strike a chord with your customers and develop communications that will make them not just open your e-mails, but purchase something in your boutique. For example, you could give your mailing list subscribers a Thanksgiving treat, such as early access to special deals that they could get ahead of all the Black Friday hullaballoo.

Find a way to connect the dots between online and offline shopping experiences for your customers

(image by Barry Pousman, [CC BY 2.0], via Flickr)

From Offline to Online and Back

Since consumers now are very much active in both e-commerce and offline shopping, you must integrate both experiences, making it convenient for them to get what they want. A great way of connecting the dots between online and in-store retail activities is by sending your existing customers an electronic certificate that they could redeem only in your brick-and-mortar store (that is, if your goal is to drive foot traffic to your boutique). If you have an online boutique and want to increase your e-sales, consider using retargeting apps to reach out to potential clients who have abandoned their carts, or offer free shipping for online orders over a certain amount.

Inspire, Don’t Hard Sell

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest have been tried, tested, and proven effective to promote brands and push sales. However, as tempting as it may be, you should try to avoid going for a hard sell, and instead come up with a cohesive plan to pull in your target audience and convert likes into revenue. For starters, you can do a series of teaser posts to build hype ahead of a big reveal of your limited holiday merchandise collection. A fun Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, useful holiday styling tips, gift and décor ideas and so on could be the type of content that will engage your followers without making them feel like they are bombarded with ads.

What types of festive promos do you usually run? Which ones seem to be the most effective for your retail business?