Christmas In July
If you’re a retailer, you might have a Christmas in July event. However, many I’ve talked with have not been able to acquire enough inventory to make it worthwhile.
A recent article in a trade magazine made several suggestions to prepare for Christmas 2021. If you have a Christmas market you might consider these. Remember that trade shows are happening in August and September and if you want product in time for November/December sales you’ll need to attend or order online.
Here's 5 suggestions for having a successful sales time:
- Order Early! Supply chains are still in turmoil, and you need merchandise, even if you must receive it in September.
- USPS Issues! The U.S. Postal Service is in transition and delivery is not guaranteed, not even priority mail. Encourage your customers to get their orders in for early shipping. Who knows what the pandemic will cause by November.
- Don’t wait for Small Business Saturday! Small Business Saturday follows Black Friday. The big box retailers are changing their approach to that day and will leave more opportunities for small business specials. But be sure you introduce your Holiday Specials early enough online and instore to catch their attention. And be sure you have enough product.
- Get your Christmas Section online in October! It will take a good two weeks for the search engines to get your product filtered into the mix. Don’t wait until mid-November and hope you can be found.
- Go wide not deep! This means you should evaluate your orders based on minimums and previous sales (if any). Order for variety not volume per item. I know that’s hard because you will have a track record for previous years and it’s always easiest to just order more.
My thought, based on my industry readings thus far: Encourage the personal touch! Whether you offer gifts or art, rocks or handmades, make each sale about buyer satisfaction.
Personal Note: We’re looking forward to this years’ rock shows. We’ll have a lot of or basic Sterling Silver and Gemstone Jewelry and hand-crafted cabochons. We’ll also have Jana’s Journals line of merchandise at each of our shows. All handmade books, bags, and baskets.
Do say Hi if you attend. Our schedule will be up on Tracy’s website September 1st.
Until Next Time - - -