Christmas will sweep by next week, and as marketers we need to always be looking ahead to the next item on our list. In this case, that would be the after-Christmas sale! If you have neglected the after-Christmas sale in the past, now is your chance to get in on this lucrative practice! Not sure why an after-Christmas sale is important for you? I’m going to list three major reasons why you should be focusing your marketing energies toward your after-Christmas sale.
Offload Your Christmas Stock
One of the best reasons to have an after-Christmas sale is to eliminate your excess Christmas stock. Once the holiday has passed, you are left plenty of items that cannot be sold at any other time of year. If you don’t have the opportunity to return it to the manufacturer, you are left with the option of throwing it out or storing it for next year. But with an after-Christmas sale, you can mark the items down. You may not make much, if any, profit on them at that point, but you will at least recoup your costs and get them out of your store!
It’s Expected
It’s true. Customers expect stores to hold after-Christmas sales, and for that reason, many people forego shopping for presents or Christmas supplies until after the holiday. They are a frugal bunch who don’t like paying full-price for anything, and they know that after Christmas, stores need to reduce their stock. Is it your job to meet customer expectations? Well, that’s a phillisophical question I’ll leave for another time, but in this case, it would be a good idea. Use the customer’s expectations to your advantage.
It’s a Money Maker
Yes, you are going to reduce prices on your items, but is it necessary to reduce them all the way to cost? Of course not! You can give a substantial discount and still make a little profit. This way the discerning customer is happy, and you make some money on your excess. Not to mention the wonderful items you carry that won’t be on sale. Customers can be seduced by your normal stock while looking for deals. Don’t underestimate the draw of good products.
After-Christmas sales are just the thing to help ease the transition from the busy buying season to the slower months at the first of the year. Don’t watch your sales drop off a cliff after the holidays, hold an after-Christmas sale and turn that sharp decline into a more gradual abatement.
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