Businesses & Holidays

Capturing the consumer’s dollars during the festive period is not just about handing out fliers and ringing a few bells. Here at Summit Planners, many of our long-term customers are also SME business owners. In addition to offering services and solutions to business owners, we also advise them on the latest trends and market directions. In the current time and age, it’s all about going online. To capture online shoppers, you have to bring your business online!

Here’s a checklist to ensure your online business is all ready for the festive shopping frenzy!

• SUPPLY & DEMAND: Check to see that you have enough stock and merchandise to satisfy customers. For an estimate, you may like to use last year’s records to gauge this year’s demand.

• MARKETING PLANS: It’s never too early to start planning. Come up with ways to encourage your customers to shop with you even after the holidays. Loyalty programmes and rewards can help turn first-time shoppers into repeat shoppers.

• CUSTOMER-FRIENDLY WEBSITE: Online shopping is an integral part of the modern lifestyle; you can buy everything from electronics, groceries, apparel, luxury goods and more. To capture the short attention span of the average online shopper, be sure your website is customer-friendly. Even if they ultimately make their purchases in the brick-and-mortar shops, they’re still likely to do their “window shopping” online. Identify any user/interface problems and fix them as soon as possible, so you don’t frustrate and lose eager shoppers during the holiday rush.

• BUILD A MAILING LIST: Encourage your site visitors to sign up for the mailing list. You may choose to give an incentive to incite their interest in signing up; it can also help to ensure they return to your site to check out what else you have to offer.

• DEALS & OFFERS: Send out newsletters/email promotions regularly. Have a promotion instore? Get “social” with it; you’ll be amazed to find out how much further it reaches. Your customers will also get in the habit of visiting your social media pages (Facebook or Instagram) to look for special offers.

• STAY CONNECTED: Include social networking share buttons on your website. Prospective customers are more likely to buy a product if they see that it’s been reviewed or “liked” and “shared” by others.

Not all the above examples will be relevant to the nature of your company but we hope that you’ve been inspired to add a little sugar and spice to your business! Interested to find out more? Speak to us today!