Bring some Christmas fitness cheer!

As we know, up to 30% of all retail trade is done in the Christmas/New Year period for many retailers, and as such we are now playing in the “Grand Final” of retail.

And of course the goal of this campaign is to extract (in the most positive way) increased sales and profit. Sounds simple enough.

So let’s look at how to help fill the Christmas stocking with sales…

So who is buying what, when?

We have compiled some recent research findings from our research partners IBISWorld that help to explain the profile of shoppers we will see in our stores this year, and then added some fitness tips to reach and sell to these customers.

• The majority of online Christmas purchases are made in October and November to ensure delivery by Christmas.

IBISWorld concludes that, “Interestingly, this means that the majority of online shoppers this Christmas are women.” Women being the typical nurturers of the family and the primary purchasers are most likely to have planned emotionally relevant and meaningful gifts for their loved ones much sooner than the final Christmas rush, making online a great purchasing channel for them.

• 60% of men will not start Christmas shopping until two days before Christmas.

So we can expect to see more men rushing around the shops in the final days. Men are also typically less planned in their Christmas shopping and will make many of their purchase decisions in store. For these customers, providing relevant gift ideas will be of great benefit as they often just want to get in, get what they need and get out.

• 73% of consumers plan on giving gift vouchers this year.

We see yet another rise in purchases of gift cards this year. A recent survey by the National Retail Federation (USA) found that the biggest reason people buy gift cards (46.4%) is that it lets the recipients pick what they want. About 20% of gift card buyers said they find gift cards provide a faster and easier way to shop during the often hectic holiday season.

Selling gift cards by promoting the benefits of customers being able to choose for themself will be a great way to build sales and provide convenience for those last minute shoppers.

Imagine as a consumer, walking into a store and being presented with ideas to solve all your gift giving ideas. While many retailers actually have all the solutions, finding them can be somewhat of a challenge in a busy store.

Here are some selling skills fitness tips for reaching your Christmas shoppers in these final days in store:

• Present gifts in categories such as “For him”, “For her”, “For the kids”. This is a simple way to enhance store navigation and up-sell at the same time.
• Ask open-ended questions. Finding out who is on the shopping list and their interests is essential to providing relevant gift giving advice.
• Focus on the customer. Sales people need to have sales as their primary focus while on the shop floor and all tasks should be scheduled for outside opening hours during this period.
• Rostering needs to change. Make sure you have enough staff to service the increased number of shoppers in store.
• The silent salesperson. Look after the customers who prefer to browse alone by ensuring your store is merchandised effectively. Belts on jeans, socks with shoes, bookmarks with books are all obvious adjacencies and there are countless more in every category.
• Impulse buys. While it is tempting to have the counter piled high with last minute add-ons, a few strategically chosen and well-placed items at the counter will have far more impact than a counter loaded with clutter.

This may be the first time many shoppers have visited your store so making it memorable is important to encouraging them to return in the New Year.

Happy fit Christmas retailing!

Brian Walker is Managing Director of Australasia’s leading retail consultancy, the Retail Doctor Group. For more on Retail Doctor Group’s Fit for Business program email businessfitness@retaildoctor.com.au or phone 02 9460 2882.