We’re approaching the peak of the Christmas shopping season, at least online. Pretty soon it’s going to start costing more money to get things shipped in time for Christmas, and many people are hurrying to place their orders.
Even so, it’s not going to be time to slow down that holiday marketing. People who need what you have badly enough won’t be that bothered by added shipping costs. Or if they are, it’s a reality they will need to deal with.
Last minute shoppers are an interesting crowd. I spent six years working in a jewelry store, and while much of the time I disagreed with the business decisions the owner made, one decision did make sense, even if it was hard on the employees.
On Christmas Eve, we could not close until all customers left.
This meant we had a lot of people in the store who needed to buy something, but had no ideas. Great time for good salespeople to make recommendations to customers who just needed to buy. Sometimes you could get really good sales. Other times you’d get the ones who just wanted something cheap, but they still needed to buy quickly.
While online options don’t vanish the way options do in the real world as stores close for the day, the less enthusiastic marketers giving up can open up possibilities for those who keep plugging away.
As shipping dates pass, start thinking on the other options you can recommend. Online gift certificates, for example. Netflix subscriptions. While these don’t look too glamourous under the tree, they can be great presents.
Prepare your marketing plans to cope with the differing needs of shoppers throughout the holiday season. The more prepared you are, the more advantage you can take of your traffic.
Technorati Tags: holiday shopping, christmas, last minute shoppers
