Picture this: All your planning for Q4 went off without a hitch. Your recipe for success that included your current customers sprinkled with an influx of new guests paid off. You worked your magic and grew your customer database. That is quite an accomplishment to be proud of! But now the next question is, “How do you keep new and existing customers engaged now that the holidays are over?” Let’s look at some sweet methods to keep your customers coming back after the holiday rush is over.
Don’t Stop The Discounts!
Companies want to start the new year and a new quarter by only selling products at full price. This is a noble thought, but not always the best one. What is one of the main complaints that any person has right after the holiday season? Everyone is typically talking about how tight their cash flow is because of how much money they spent on holiday gifts. Instead of stopping your discounts, start the new year off with a discount! If you have any leftover inventory from the holidays, this is a great way to clear it out. You can use your discounting selectively and to clear any product you are sitting too heavily on. Some may say this will lower your Q1 revenue too much. However, a lower revenue is better than no revenue!
Does your company have a loyalty program? If so, now is the time to make sure all the new customers you acquired over the holidays are part of the program. Depending upon the specific logistics of your program, incentivize joining if it isn’t free to do so. Create promotions and discounts exclusively for members of your loyalty program. Have double point days or ways to earn more points than usual on a purchase as a way to keep guests, both new and old, returning.
Mystery gifts are also another fantastic way to encourage sales with your customers, so don't overlook this effective tool. Who doesn't like something free? Another way to use a mystery gift? Use a product you are sitting heavy on as your gift with purchase. You drive sales and move excess inventory, which is a surefire way to whip up a winning sales strategy!
Play With Your Copy To See What Works With Your Customers
Our words can mean the difference between closing a sale or missing a lead. The copy you choose to relay can make or break your brand any time of year. But we can’t afford to lose any during the lean post-holiday months.
Don’t be afraid to take a chance and change things up so you can find that sweet spot with your customers. Also, don't be afraid to capitalize on trends for the new year. The phrase "New year, new me" exists for a reason! Take advantage of those emotions for a successful Q1. Don't overlook upcoming holidays like Valentine's Day, and encourage early shopping for those events. The bottom line, figure out what the roadblocks are for customers to purchase and then use your copy to jump over that block.
Make Sure You Upsell & Cross Sell
In the modern world of selling, we get a huge assist from our customer relationship management systems (CRMs). These programs help us manage all our customer data in a way a human wouldn’t be able. These tools allow you to make product suggestions to your customers that will help you increase your sales. Take full advantage of these features to sweeten your sales through the power of suggestion. Don't hesitate to bundle slower-moving items with faster-selling items. Customers love suggestions, and showing off more items is a recipe for success.
Use Social Media To Your Advantage
Social media is one of the most powerful tools any business can have. Our customers will use these tools to post all the new items they received for the holidays. This is a chance for you to do some active listening and validate those purchases through likes and other comments. When brands positively interact with their customers on social media, customers love it!
The use of social media also means you can post your content and use keywords to draw users to that content. People will be using hashtags like #postholidaysales, #afterchristmassales, and so many others to search for things to spend their holiday cash on. Make sure you use those hashtags and keywords so they can find your brand and spend that money with you!
The holiday season is always a make-or-break time for any eComm brand. But you don’t want all that hard work to be for nothing. The relationships you build during the holidays will power you through the new year if you find ways to sweeten the deal for your customers. Your quality product is what caught their attention. These strategies will prove to be the icing on the cake. Contact the CAKE team today to get started on your eComm recipe for success!
