Thriving During the Holidays

STHRIVING DURING NG THE HOLIDAYS This year, 35% of shoppers plan to buy their gifts at local, small businesses. Small business shoppers want to support local businesses and find unique merchandise within a personalized shopping experience. Here are some ways you can put your best foot forward this holiday season. THE OMNI-CHANNEL EXPERIENCE Customers have many ways to find your products, including in-store, online and on their mobile devices. The key is to optimize each medium to create a seamless customer experience that excels at reaching shoppers and driving sales on any platform. MOBILE INFLUENCE Shoppers use mobile devices to research products at the point of purchase TIP Make sure your mobile site clearly displays product info, price comparison options, store deals, and product reviews of shoppers plan to use a smartphone of shoppers say they would use a mobile wallet for 51% 31% app to compare prices their purchases 2013 2014 2015 In 3 years, mobile devices are expected to influence $689 billion in retail sales options, store deals, and product reviews WEB PRESENCE Online sales are quickly edging out in-store purchases. Your website should be modern, easy to use and conversion-focused; if it's not, now is the time to improve! 63% of shoppers use retailer websites to research say they appreciate the ease of online shopping and 24% say they find better sales 42% products VS 55% of holiday shoppers plan to skip Black Friday and shop Cyber Monday instead NEW IN-STORE TRAFFIC Consider using NFC (near-field communications) to recognize customers as they walk in the door, so you can provide them with customized deals, product suggestions and mobile payment options. TIP Implement screens at point of purchase to create customizable promotions $-$ Counteract the "showrooming" effect by offering price-matching Emphasize cheaper and faster fulfillment compared to online purchases CREATE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE Managing several mediums can become overwhelming but the customer experience must never be compromised. A positive and consistent experience will outweigh price and lead to more overall sales. 2.2 The average number of negative encounters that will cause a customer to stopP purchasing from a retail brand MILLENNIALS CAN BE TOUGH CUSTOMERS 70-80% are likely to stop purchasing from a retailer after only one negative experience STRENGTHEN WHAT CUSTOMERS VALUE MOST: inventory availability speed of delivery and pick up sales associate interaction SHOW SOME GRATITUDE Give customers a reason to come back with a simple gesture. Saying "thank you" will attract and maintain loyal shoppers. 47% of customers enjoy a gift in the form of a discount on a product or service 18% Prefer a holiday gift card 1234 5678 9000 0000 13% appreciate a unique item as a gift Send greeting cards to customers, prospects and vendors Give small, affordable gifts to your best customers Plan a holiday party or open house to showcase new products and offer special discounts Attend other businesses' holiday mixers to show support and deepen community relations NEWS Capture contact information from holiday shoppers for follow-up messages and future promotional offers Write newsletters that include seasonal offers, new products, events and holiday hours KNOW YOUR SHOPPER Consumer demographics are constantly changing and so must the retailer. Get to know who the shoppers are this holiday season. ON AVERAGE, Households plan on spending 20% more this holiday season than in 2012 Vs 2012 2 の 13 ATTRACTING MALE SHOPPERS CATERING TO THE FEMALE SHOPPER %24 women's spending plans have only increased by 22% since 2010, but they're still the primary shoppers men's spending plans have increased by 31% since 2010 women tend to glance over several products and prefer quick product summaries men look for specific product details and photographs while shopping men prefer using deal websites when bargain hunting women turn to social media to find coupons Women are highly responsive to mobile targeting Men make larger mobile purchases 44% of women surveyed have visited a store Men are 2x more comfortable than after receiving a mobile sale alert women making large purchases ($500+) via a mobile device BOTH M EN AND WOMEN ARE SHORT ON TIME. Make shopping easier by grouping products together to create gift packages. Gift cards are also important for busy shoppers so make sure to have plenty available and place them throughout the store, primarily at the check-out or front desk. Sources reuters.com/article/ 2013/11/20/snaperte-pricegrabber-idUSnPnLA7 DThw+16c+PRN20131120 us atoday.com/story/money/columnist/abrams/2013/10/11/small-business-holiday-success/2963401/ Merchant examiner.com/artiele/small-businesses-planning-to- pull-out-all- stops-with-service- during-holiday-2013 Warehouse marketwatch.com/story/new-research-Indicates-holiday-shoppers- avidly-support-small-businesses-2013-10-21 deloitte.com/assers/ Deom-UnitedStatos/Local%20A ssers/Documents/ RetalDistribution/us_retal_Mobile-Influence- Fact or_062712. pdf Learn more at MerchantWarehouse.com 00