In the UK we’ve always preferred a full-blooded and some would say sane approach to retail marketing. Christmas is about a “hockey stick” shaped sales curve with consumers hitting the shops in increasing numbers as Christmas approaches. As demand remains high, prices hold, maximising returns at a critical time for all high street or online retailers. Then when consumers are fatigued and your winter stocks need moving to make way for what comes next, and with swathes of people at a loose end before starting work after New Year’s Day, attract them back to the shops with competitive post-Christmas price promotions.
Boxing Day and new year sales are still very much at the heart of British retail strategy – but increasingly the US approach to deep discounting across multiple, staccato calendar events is at the heart of a new battleground. Some retailers like M&S are continuing to resist Black Friday, but others are jumping in with two feet. Consumers remain confused and largely unprepared compared with their US counterparts. The winds of change are blowing.
UK expenditure on Halloween has grown nearly 4000% (yes – four thousand percent) in the past 15 years – overtaking Valentine’s Day as the UK’s third biggest retail event behind Christmas and Easter. Whatever the reason we now prefer ghouls and gallows to guys and gals it’s evident that the intense US sequence of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, New Year, Valentines, Easter has begun to give UK retail managers and shop owners sleepless nights by thrusting discounting and promotions pressure into an otherwise nicely shaped pre-Christmas build up.
So what can be done?
We believe there are still ways to bring a bit of product-focused merchandising back in without needing to lower prices- particularly based around more British events. As demand remains high, even after a frenetic few days spanning Black Friday into Cyber Monday, maybe everyone needs a brief respite from Christmas before they jump in again.
Hero some themed gift sets…
Gift sets and collections allow you to present carefully selected groups of products together, perhaps adding some of your slower selling items in with the more popular lines to balance sales and add value for your customers by pre-packing and beautifully gift wrapping the goods.
With a royal wedding on the horizon, and a huge amount of buzz already, why not celebrate a more positive marriage of UK and US culture than the pre-Christmas retail frenzy? A Harry and Meghan hamper gift set would be a perfect pre-Christmas event to give cause for celebration.
How can we help?
We offer our deluxe hamper trays which are sold flat to take up as little space as possible – and we sell them in small pack sizes so you can see which colour or size works best before buying in bulk. That makes them perfect for a small product promotion as well as for all your Christmas gift packs.
They are easy to assemble and offer the perfect opportunity to gift wrap in style using our polypropylene film wrap..or use with our simple transparent lids which fit snugly onto the box for a sleek finish.
Whatever your occasion, focusing on product enhancement and gift collections is another way to combat the discount culture and preserve some very British values – hockey sticks and all that..
You can find the products mentioned using the links below.
Our self-assembly hamper are easy to put together, can be stored flat before use and give you the perfect opportunity to create a special gift set either pre-packed and dressed ready for sale or chosen by the customer and gift wrapped as they watch…we’ve no doubt you’re better at it than we are but please see an example below.
Or add our elegant transparent lid for a smooth finish which really shows off the contents.
We sell hampers in four sizes and five different colours.
Product Links:
To see the hamper trays – click here
To see the transparent lids – click here
To see the shred fill – click here
To see the polypropylene film wrap – click here
Sources:
http://www.mintel.com/blog/retail-market-news/hall…