Ways to Get Ahead of the Holiday Competition

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“Holidays make the already existing competition tough. As direct and indirect competitors vie for the customers’ cash, businesses need to get creative to pull ahead of the market,” – AweberBlog.com

Holidays mark the ‘beginning of the end’ of a calendar year. The holidays also mark the busy season for retailers and businesses as they gear up to face the holiday competition. The common target audience for most businesses would be all types of consumers making plans to spend their customer dollars on goods and services, in a bid to orchestrate the perfect rollover into the new calendar year. However, brands and businesses need to compete for said dollars because crowded modern markets offer customers endless variety in terms of consumables, products, goods, and services. We intend to discuss some of the techniques that can help modern businesses to beat the holiday competition.

Email marketing is one of the favourite devices to ensnare the customers’ attention. Modern brands and businesses deploy this low-cost electronic tactic frequently in a bid to reach their customers. The evolution of marketing technology enables the purveyors of commerce to embellish marketing emails with bells and whistles, bright and vibrant colours, and fonts that please the customer’s eye. We may say that modern marketing emails represent sophisticated, electronic versions of traditional flyers, and therefore, brands that wish to trounce holiday competition should device and deploy marketing emails ahead of time. This would enable them to attract the customers’ attention early in the season. The content of such emails can include brand new merchandise, discounted products, special offers, discount codes, holiday enticements, etc. In light of the above, we may state that the holiday email is a unique commercial device that can empower businesses to pull ahead of the holiday competition and achieve the sales targets of the season.

Gift cards and gift certificates represent an under rated holiday gift option. Brands and businesses should leverage the possibilities of these devices in a bid to get the better of the holiday competition. Retailers and shopping destinations can position special counters to encourage customers to buy these convenient gifting options. We note that these cards and certificates represent a unique gifting option for most customers; these do not impose long shopping queues on their buyers. Therefore, brands and businesses can publicise the use of these devices on their newsletters and their websites. In addition, points of sale can be used to promote gift cards and certificates as last-minute purchases. Further, e-commerce businesses can add these devices to their customer’s online carts in a bid to enhance market traction.

Intelligent business enterprises can appeal to the conscience of customers and consumers in a bid to beat the holiday competition. A certain brand can choose to donate a percentage of its holiday profits to a high-profile charity. This fact can be advertised on both offline and online media with a view to generate market publicity. Subsequently, the brand may register higher sales as conscientious consumers use their cash and credit cards to buy from said business enterprise. We note that the brand must publicise the proceeds that were donated to charity in a bid to make good on its promise to consumers. This tactic can help businesses to gain a competitive edge and to demolish the holiday competition.

Modern commerce has heavily harnessed electronic technology in its pursuit to expand market share and to gain higher profits. Brands and businesses can use social media platforms to promote product discovery and enhance sales. We note that such a tactic enables businesses to broadcast their merchandise to masses of online audiences, thereby boosting the chances of market uptake in time frames leading up to the holiday season. For instance, an e-commerce business operator can devise a special campaign based on daily posts in social media platforms. This tactic may enable said operator to take on the holiday competition and to attract massive consumer attention. The new offers posted every day may set off a shopping frenzy among customers, thus enabling the business to earn a very high ROI on its marketing campaign. That said, we note that the business operator must ensure sufficient product inventory with a view to cope with the large numbers of shoppers responding to said marketing tactic.

Business strategists should work to enhance payment options on websites of both e-commerce businesses and traditional enterprises. Thus, in addition to cash and credit cards, businesses should encourage shoppers to cash-in on accumulated credit points, use debit cards and gift cards, electronic wallets, and electronic coupons. The wide range of payment options can enable a business to tackle the holiday competition head on, while selling to significantly diverse range of shoppers and visitors. The outcome of this business strategy can manifest in higher sales, excited customers, and faster inventory clearances.

Company websites and other cyber presences must be overhauled and fortified ahead of the holiday marketing season. Media reports indicate multiple instances in recent times when a less-than-optimised website compromised shopper experiences and significantly eroded the net income of a business enterprise. In light of such information, brands and businesses should ensure that their websites are fully equipped to deal with the velocity of online shoppers, thereby ensuring smooth business transactions. This is one tactic, which can enable contemporary businesses to shine in contrast to the holiday competition.

Businesses can offer customers premium-shipping options in a bid to pull ahead of the holiday competition. The delayed arrival of merchandise remains a common customer complaint in modern times. Premium shipping can help businesses to defeat this complaint and win the customer’s confidence. Therefore, brands and businesses should enclose such offers to customers in a bid to smoothen their customer relations during busy holiday seasons. We note that the ensuing customer confidence will likely result in future transactions thereby helping the business to expand its consumer base.

Gifts are a proven method to attract the attention of customers. Brands and businesses can add a gift to every customer that shops during the holiday season. The gift may be a token or a minor discount on customers’ next shopping expedition. The gesture is significant because it enables businesses to deepen customer engagement and to trounce the holiday competition. Therefore, business managers need to plan on the nature of the gifts. However, these should not be tacky and must add a certain value to the business relationship with customers. That said, we note that such tactics can help businesses to clear their inventory of slow moving merchandise.

In the preceding paragraphs, we have examined some of the tactics that enable businesses to perform better than the competition during the holiday season. Brands and businesses must refine these strategies and deploy long-term techniques in a bid to capitalise goodwill of customers. We note that innovation and technical excellence can help brands and businesses to conduct higher volumes of business and to gain larger numbers of customers. These methods should enable businesses to deepen their customer relationships and to harvest customer goodwill beyond the immediate gains of the holiday season. Modern commercial organizations should adapt the discussed techniques for use during the subsequent calendar year in a bid to gain enhanced traction in commercial markets.

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