'Tis the season to be prepared
As a small business owner juggling different duties, getting organised for sales events such as Black Friday or a big celebration Christmas can be a real challenge. So, if you haven’t already started to prepare for the big Christmas rush, now is the time to start. Getting ready for the season looks different for every business, from retail to services, each business will do their best to get involved and get into the festive spirit.
According to Money Supermarket, the average UK household expenditure for Christmas in 2023 was £1,811.70. The average monthly income in the UK was £2,095.58, and each household was predicted to spend 80% of that on Christmas.
This is a great opportunity for small businesses to get involved, and in order to do so they need to be heard. It might be daunting to attempt to cut through the noise of big brands at Christmas to execute your marketing strategy, so it’s important to get prepared early so that you can get the most out of the season and really be heard.
First stop – Black Friday
Black Friday is a popular American holiday which has become familiar in the UK in recent years. In previous years businesses might have felt forced into participating in Black Friday for fear of losing customers to competitors. Often fast-fashion retailers offer unheard of discounts, with Pretty Little Thing selling items for as little as 4p. Discounts at 99% off tempt customers into purchasing more than is environmentally sound, increasing the customers carbon footprint.
However, as the world is becoming more environmentally conscious, a new alternative, Green Friday has emerged. Patagonia were one of the first retailers to explore putting the environment first, with their repairs option over Black Friday.
If you choose to take part in Black Friday, your offering does not necessarily need to include discounts but, as a small business, time-limited incentives could feature.
Still interested? Black Friday 2024 will take place on 29th November.
Second stop - Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is a non-commercial initiative which first took place in the UK in 2013, supported by American Express, who understand how crucial small businesses are in our local communities and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ in the run up to Christmas.
Over the time Small Business Saturday has ran in the UK, it has engaged millions each year, with spend on the day topping over £1 billion.
The grassroots campaign highlights small business success and all types of businesses are encouraged to get involved; from family businesses, to wholesalers to business service providers. There is also an opportunity for larger business to support the campaign via mentoring, advertising and sponsorship.
This year, Small Business Saturday UK takes place on 7th December. Find out how you can get involved.
Now turn up the heat on your Christmas campaign!
Once the warm up for the big day has passed, it’s time to start implementing your Christmas strategy. Whether this comes in the form of special prices, placements, promotions, or products, it’s time to get started.
Where are your customers shopping this Christmas?
Your website
Are your customers shopping online on your website? If the answer is yes, this next bit is particularly important. You need to ensure that your website is fully optimised for search through a targeted SEO strategy to ensure your audience is able to find you. It is well worth carrying out a Digital Audit of your website to make sure it is performing as well as it can be. Offering your customers a seamless shopping experience is key, this means taking into account your site speed, accessibility, and mobile optimisation for example.
On social media
The social commerce industry in United Kingdom was forecast to grow by 26.6% on annual basis in 2024. By 2029, the UK’s social commerce is predicted to reach a staggering $83.27 billion.
With reports indicating that more and more customers are using social channels to look for purchase inspiration, the opportunity for smaller retailers to make use of the growing number of in-app check-out facilities is huge. Take time to understand how best to use each application and decide which option would be right for your business and where you are most likely to find your target audience. TikTok Shop is a great platform for small businesses to use as it not only offers a variety of products but gives a reach like no other and attracts a whole new customer base. There have been many success stories on TikTok Shop with brands like P Louise and Made By Mitchell famously making huge sales through the platform.
With social media in mind, remember to pay attention to the quality of your social feeds and engagement levels. Are you listening to the conversation and responding to posts that are relevant to your business?
Ask yourself how consumers will find you. Research relevant hashtags and make use of the latest developments on social media such as Instagram Reels to reach a wider audience. Running a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign on your chosen social platform can be a cost-effective way of reaching a very targeted audience (defined by location, age, gender and interests).
Social Influencers can also have a big impact on attracting new customers and sales conversions. Are there influencers speaking to your target audience who would be interested in partnering with your brand in the lead up to Christmas? Micro-influencers (with a smaller number of followers) often represent a good option for smaller businesses, as they can typically enjoy a more loyal, targeted following. This is a strategy that has been proven to work on TikTok with brands targeting micro-influencers on this platform.
Let’s unwrap your product offering
During the 2023 Christmas quarter, four consumer trends which were popular were offering products and services which include personalisation, value, are ethically sourced and bring the family closer together. Retailers can easily tap into these trends, for example if you are a local coffee shop you could offer personalised gift vouchers for customers to gift, or use ethically sourced coffee beans in your product offering. At Christmas time often family members value photographs of their loved ones, local photoshops could tap into the value trend through offering special offers on photo frames when you print X number of photographs in store.
As a non-retail business, it might be perceived as harder to tap into these consumer trends, but it shouldn’t be. You just need to think outside of the box. Christmas is the perfect time to reward customers, incentivise employees and reconnect with prospects through hosting and gifting. Often during the festive period, larger retailers offer an App Advent Calendar which consumers can open each day to reveal a free treat or a % off a certain product line. As a non-retailer, there’s no reason why you can’t take inspiration from these larger retailers and simplify it on a smaller scale.
As well as rewarding customers and employees, you could help give a boost to a local hospitality business by choosing their venue or service to entertain your guests. Start your research now to ensure you can secure your chosen venue and understand order deadlines for the personalisation and prompt delivery of gifts.
Community and charitable events can help to raise your company’s profile within your chosen location and target demographic through sponsorship, event support and/or raffle gift donations. It is important that any involvement is relevant to your company’s core values and your commitment to the cause should be genuine.
With all of this in mind, it’s certainly not too early to be talking about the golden Christmas quarter. Now is the time for businesses to consider the needs and behaviour of their target customer in the weeks and months leading up to the festive season. Relevance and authenticity should sit at the heart of your strategy and be implemented consistently across all communications.
Do you need help developing a marketing strategy that addresses your customer's needs and behaviour? Contact our team to see how we can help.