Once the Christmas campaign is over, and almost without time, the January sales begin. These dates are a good time to get rid of the stock that we do not want to continue having and to make ourselves known to new users.
However, we cannot forget that it can be a difficult time to sell, because it is just after Christmas and The Three Wise Men. People receive many gifts and in some cases they have no need to buy anything or indulge themselves. Therefore, it is a time where marketing strategies are essential.
Sales get tough in January
During the Christmas season people spend, spend and spend money; causing, as the saying goes, the arrival of the “skinny cows”. The month of January is usually called “the January slope” due to the financial difficulties that some people suffer, after the many gifts they buy for family and friends. All of this translates into a drop in sales for businesses.
Although, it does not mean that all is lost. For example, January 2018 sales were 3.6% higher than the same month of the previous year, as registered by the United States Department of Commerce and the National Retail Federation (NRF).
The best way to avoid all of this is to develop strategies that excite and engage buyers. Online stores have the advantage of digitization and social networks to achieve turn January sales decline into sales increase.
Benefits of discounts
Discounts are always one of the most effective strategies to increase sales, but you have to be careful. Lowering prices on some occasions puts the commercial margin at risk or attracts customers who do not interest us.
Making good sales can attract very positive aspects to the business that will allow it to be strengthened and achieve things such as:
- Attract new clients. The sales period is a good time to publicize the business to new consumers and attract them to our establishment. The moment the client comes to us, we have to take the opportunity to show them our differences with respect to the competition and add value to them.
- Build loyalty with your regular customers. This campaign also has to be an opportunity to retain customers. We have to get consumers to pay attention to us by carrying out eye-catching campaigns, since they receive a lot of information. The advantage is that if they are our clients and have ever bought in our online store, we can once again be their first purchase option.
- Increase sales. We must not focus only on increasing sales during these dates, we must try to ensure that customers who come to our store become recurring and buy throughout the year. It’s about building trust and being affordable.
Once we know the advantages that can have for our business use the discounts to increase our sales. Let’s see some of the tricks that can be used to improve results.
4 tips to improve your sales results
Take advantage of all distribution channels
After the growth that the online channel is having and the continuous predictions that speak of the possible disappearance of the physical channel, many brands are focusing their focus on developing a single distribution channel. However, it is very important that all of our channels are well served and provide the best possible service to our consumers.
If a consumer buys where he buys, if he has a good experience, he will return, but if, on the contrary, he has a bad experience, he will not return; neither to the online channel nor to the physical one. Let’s look for success in all channels.
Take care of the margins
Although one of the ways to attract more consumers is by making deep discounts, you have to be careful with these. Respecting the margins of a business is essential to guarantee its survival.
If you want to risk and offer more aggressive discounts, a good option is to offer these to customers loyal to the brand. This will make them feel special and increase their love for the brand. In addition, some of the customers who have not registered will be encouraged to do so when they find out.
Look for themes that attract the consumer
When a new year begins there are topics that interest us all. If your e-commerce sells sports products, take advantage of the sales to give more prominence to this section, since with the beginning of the year we all set goals such as doing more sports and taking better care of ourselves.
Don’t you sell sports products? Nothing happens. There are a large number of products that we can present to consumers to help them take care of themselves and achieve their goals for the new year. For example, if we sell candles we can convey to the consumer that with these they will be able to enjoy moments of peace to take care of themselves and spend time.
Do not forget the social networks
Social networks are always present in our marketing and advertising strategies, but on these dates they have to be even more present. We cannot forget that this tool helps us to make ourselves known.
Videos are one of the most striking forms of content on social media. Also, it doesn’t take much, just pick up the phone and record something fun. We must try to make our video impact and go viral; sometimes the simplest things are the most shared.
Some consumers tend to take advantage of the sales to buy products in stores where they normally do not buy.
It is also interesting to look at what some of the large companies such as El Corte Inglés do, Amazon o Zara to attract consumers. Zara, for example, tends to highlight the sales section on its website, while Amazon prioritizes sections such as “Best Sellers” to invite consumers to continue shopping.
Good luck with the sales!