Planning for a Return to Normal: Retail Strategies Post Holiday

• January 2, 2018
• Topics:
  • Retail Strategies

So, the holiday season is officially over. The crowds and the mayhem are officially a thing of the past, at least for another year.  That means it is time to recover from the chaos and get your store repositioned for a return to normal, and quickly, for maximum impact after the holiday season. What’s your retail strategy to accomplish this?

Boost your customer service. Customer service often takes a dip during the busy season, so make boosting this your number one priority now. Ensure customers are getting the attention they need, when they need it. When dealing with returns, endeavour to make the process as positive as possible to mitigate the risk of negative reviews and to help boost brand loyalty. Use every opportunity you can to bank on those first-time customers coming in to spend their gift cards – they represent a valuable opportunity for building your current base.

Bring the store to rights. With the holidays over, make sure that your store is back in tip-top shape, including getting that holiday merchandise out of a prominent spot and either into the clearance section or stored away for next year. Make sure this is done as soon as possible.

Focus on the new year. The new year provides the perfect opportunity to establish a visual merchandising plan that plays on the idea of starting fresh. Pick a theme that creates that emotional connection with customers looking to make the new year their year. This can cover all kinds of things: becoming more organized, living a healthy lifestyle, trying new things, even becoming more environmentally friendly.

What’s also important during this post-season transitional period is to examine what worked and what didn’t and learn from it. Take some time to go over the issues that arose over the course of the busy season and see if there is anything you can do to reduce the chances of these issues arising next year. If changes can be made, this helps to ensure a retail strategy that is more efficient. Use the knowledge and customer insights to inform your processes going forward.

The holiday season is over and it is time to return to a state of normalcy and prepare for the new year ahead. At Marketsupport, we’re here to help you reap the rewards from a retail strategy that hits all the targets. For more on our entire suite of retail merchandising service, please call 1-877-421-5081 today.