Two Things Retailers Must do to Maximize Holiday Shopping

Summer is over. Kids are going back to school. Weather is cooling. Football is back. This can mean only one thing: the holiday season is starting to ramp up. 

Before long, consumers will start creating their wish lists and planning for their purchases. When it comes to purchasing, our research has shown some interesting stats:

• 81% of consumers say they will only buy from somebody they trust. 
• 75% of consumers prefer an instore experience if possible.
  
  

Build Trust

The time to build that trust is now. Smart retailers know that the time to build their clientele is during slow months. We see this same principle in advertising. The best time to gain market share is when sales are slow in an industry. 

If you’re not building trusted relationships, your competition is reaping the benefits of your advertising. It’s true. When a client has a good relationship with a retailer and they see a competitor’s ad, guess where they go? To the person they trust. They ask: “Do you have this product? I’d rather buy it from you.” 

Every new customer you’ve acquired this year has the potential to become a life-long client who will trust you when they make their holiday purchases. Again, now is the time to get them into your system, learn all you can about them, build a personal relationship with each, and prepare to be able to communicate personally with them over the next few months. 

Create Instore Experiences Outside the Store

There’s a reason Amazon is getting into retail space. People like talking to real people about products. They want opinions. They want options. They want to hold a product and see how it looks or fits. 

Despite retail’s crazy waves lately: COVID shutdowns, shifts in consumer spending, and now new COVID variants and uncertainties, a constant remains. Consumers are still looking for more meaningful connections. They still want great customer service, the right prices, customization, and personalization. The best and easiest place for this to happen is in person and instore. 

To drive more instore experiences, every client interaction outside the store needs to be as meaningful and productive as an in-store meeting. It’s pretty simple to do with five or six clients. But to do this with thousands of clients you need the right tools. That’s where Clientbook comes in. So, take a deep breath and get ready for some of the biggest shopping days of the year.