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The end of the year coincides with a series of major holidays, including Halloween, St. Nicholas' Day, Christmas and New Year's Eve. Animating your store during this period is essential to increase footfall, boost sales and improve the customer experience. Festive entertainment creates a unique atmosphere that attracts visitors, appeals to families with children and encourages customers to stay longer in your store.
The Christmas period is a time of intense consumption, so animations also encourage impulse buying. By offering an emotional and personalized experience, they can increase the average shopping basket and boost your sales.
Consumers expect above all a festive experience, attractive promotions and discounts, and personalized in-store services during the festive season. Particularly in December, consumers are looking to recapture the Christmas magic of their childhood, and to immerse themselves in a warm, cocooning atmosphere in which they feel at home.
Use music, decorations (garlands, Christmas trees, banners, special point-of-sale displays, etc.) and window displays on the theme of winter and Santa Claus, and give them a warm welcome so that they can share the nostalgic experience of Christmas with family and friends. The simple act of visiting your store should become an activity in its own right.
Meeting these expectations is essential to building loyalty and turning occasional visitors into regular customers during the key holiday season.
During this time of sharing, when gifts are given and received, certain services such as gift wrapping with complimentary or made-to-measure wrapping paper are also expected from the store. The speed and efficiency of service must also be impeccable in the last days before Christmas, so avoid late deliveries and out-of-stock situations at all costs.
As we've seen, successfully creating a warm, festive atmosphere through decoration and appropriate services encourages customers to stay and buy in your store. Gift-wrapping, personalized advice and efficient service make all the difference. Added to this are targeted promotions and offers: to encourage your customers to buy, offer special discounts, gift packs and exclusive offers (“3 for 2” promotions, free gifts with purchase, ready-made gift boxes) to raise the average basket.
Customers are particularly attentive to good deals during this intensive shopping period, so you need to communicate these offers effectively via your various channels (display, web, social networks). Special festive events at your point of sale, such as photos with Santa Claus, demonstrations and tastings, as well as end-of-year shows (like the puppet show) will help you capture your customers' attention and wallets even more effectively.
Hire a professional speaker that will significantly increase your sales.
A holiday entertainment project needs to be thought through in relation to your budget and potential return on investment. The average budget for a store's holiday activities depends on the size of the store, the scope of the activities and the choice of decorations.
For a modest decoration, a Christmas window display with simple elements (garlands, baubles, DIY accessories) can be set up for less than 200€. A more complete decoration with tree/illuminations/professional accessories can cost between 500 and 800€, depending on the range and surface area of the store.
To optimize your budget, opt for group purchases and supermarket lots. You can also count on reusing decorations from previous years, which is why it's important to keep your decorations year after year in a safe place.
Top sales in stores during the Christmas and New Year period are dominated by several product categories that are very popular with consumers.
First of all, festive food products: as the festive season is synonymous with New Year's Eve and family meals, it's only natural to find this category at the top of the list.
- Gourmet products are a must, with chocolate at the top of the list. Ferrero Rocher and ballotins of fine chocolates.
- Luxury products for festive meals such as foie gras, turkey, salmon and snails.
- Festive drinks such as champagne, wines and spirits, as well as popular beverages like Champomy or Coca-Cola.
Then there are Christmas decorations. Festive decorations are very much in demand: garlands of lights, baubles, hanging lights, wreaths and home decorations are always among the best sellers.
Christmas gifts are also among the top sellers at this time of year: children's toys and leisure products are classics on Christmas lists.
Gift sets, wellness boxes and handcrafted products are the most popular gifts for adults, and always attract a large audience.
Consumer electronics and high-tech products (televisions, telephones, computers, games consoles, etc.) continue to account for a significant proportion of gift purchases. As in the back to school.
In short, festive food products, Christmas decorations, toys, personalized gifts and fashion are the top sellers in stores for the festive season.
Overall, this looks like a good strategy. Customers are ready to spend more this holiday season. So they're naturally more likely to come into stores. Visit our tips for a successful store opening.
