As the end of the year grows closer, businesses everywhere are bracing for the holiday season. Though this year may look quite different from pre-pandemic days, 2020 taught us that shoppers show no signs of slowing down.
As our resale shops prepare, we are focusing on the key ways our franchisees can capitalize on the upcoming holiday shopping season.
Celebrate With the Community
Whether they take place in person or virtually, community events are still occurring. Many towns are hosting Christmas tree lightings, holiday fairs, light shows, fundraisers and more. Get involved with these efforts by participating as a sponsor or an attendee or by hosting your very own event.
Another way to make the most of the holiday season is to form partnerships with other local businesses and charities. Foundations like The Salvation Army and St. Jude are always looking for businesses willing to lend a hand and help fundraise during this time.
As for connecting directly with your customers, the holiday season is the perfect time to let them know how much you appreciate them. Consider creating handwritten holiday cards to hand out with every purchase or to send to your list of regular customers.
Emphasize Your Holiday Spirit
As for your products, you can group products by holiday or category and offer additional services for the holiday season, such as complimentary gift wrapping.
Additionally, you can participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. You should plan on marketing these within the coming weeks, as November is just around the corner.
You can also “deck the halls” by decorating your store and sharing your festive creation on your website and social media pages.
Utilize Email Marketing
When it comes to marketing, email is one of the easiest ways to get in touch with customers, and it is often among the most effective methods when it comes to retaining them. Some of the best email marketing practices are creating concise and engaging subject lines and highlighting your promotions, community relations efforts and festive products.
You can also get creative with the way you present your products to provide valuable content to your customers. For instance, rather than simply listing and showcasing your holiday sweater collection, phrase it as a helpful list (e.g. “10 Ideas to Win Your Holiday Party’s Ugly Sweater Contest”). You should always make sure to include a call-to-action at the end with a direct link to your website, as well as a link to each product listing next to its image.
Market Your Retail Franchise on Social Media
Finally, there is a lot more to social media marketing than paid advertisements. Organic reach can also be helpful when done correctly, and the key to extending your reach and standing out to your followers is to create engaging content and to take the time to engage with others.
Hosting a Facebook or Instagram Live or creating a short video/Instagram Reel to showcase your products is an excellent way to generate interest in them. You should also use relevant hashtags and post stories often.
The best way to engage users is to prompt them to want to respond, whether it be with a question or a poll. For example, you can post a side-by-side of two of your holiday items and ask “Which one is your favorite?” or post a series of photos/videos with you and your employees sharing your favorite holiday traditions and ask followers to chime in with theirs.
Let the Festivities Begin
This holiday season may be a unique one, but there is still so much to celebrate. No matter how you decide to make the most of it, remember that some of the most rewarding parts of owning a franchise business are connecting with your community, building relationships with your customers and giving back.
Not only can going “all-out” this holiday season increase your sales, but it can also help spread the holiday cheer just when the world around us needs it the most.
What better way to start the holiday season than by joining a rapidly-growing retail resale franchise? Contact us today to learn more about our resale franchise opportunities!
