Christmas shopping is a classic in December and with the arrival of Black Friday, this campaign is increasingly being brought forward each year. The sales figures of many brands and distributors are strongly impacted by this time of year and, in some specific cases, they even depend on Christmas sales to meet year-end forecasts.
Sectors such as fashion, perfumery, food or beverages experience their peak sales at this time of year, marked by a very special aesthetic and spirit. Consequently, both brands and retailers must be able to meet consumer expectations and offer both products and shopping experiences tailored to that Christmas aesthetic and the buyer’s specific needs.
In this regard, reorganising lines, cross-selling and multi-planting products throughout the establishment entails an essential competitive advantage to optimise sales. It is therefore necessary to have solutions adapted to each surface and each brand. From shelving that invites completing the purchase and that makes it possible to move certain products, as in the case of food and beverages with typical products such as wines or Christmas treats, to technological solutions that enrich the consumer experience, such as digital kiosks and product recommenders.
It is about adding value to the physical store, turning it not only into a shopping space, but also into an entertaining and interactive place. This experiential facet is going to be key in physical establishments compared to the online channel, where not being able to see and touch the product becomes a great disadvantage. Shelving that helps highlight the packaging designed by brands exclusively for this campaign, lighting, posters and digital signage will be essential to enhance the Christmas shopping experience, which leads to an increase in sales and an increase in customer loyalty.
Towards greater loyalty
It is important that establishments have a festive atmosphere with elements that allow the consumer to have a unique experience at a time of year when they are especially receptive to shopping.
By identifying the hot spots in the space, it is possible to place the products that stand out the most in the areas with the greatest flow of people.
An easy and speedy purchase is part of consumer expectations, who often do not have enough time to spend on this moment. Therefore, making the products they are looking for easier to access, speeding up their waiting times and being quick at the till will be essential to make these Christmas buyers loyal customers in the future.
The Christmas campaign is a great opportunity to stand out from the competition. At this time of the year the flow of people is higher compared to other months. Therefore, Christmas becomes an opportunity to learn from consumer behaviour, analyse times and routes, as well as their profiles.
But how do you achieve all this? Without a doubt, Christmas is a good time to apply Business Intelligence to sales areas. The data allow an in-depth analysis to be carried out, which must then be extrapolated and adapted to other times of the year in order to move towards greater loyalty.
