The ornaments are tucked away, the lights re-wound — and with it, the holiday shopping season has ended. While the end of the season often brings a big boost to businesses with holiday shoppers, the first part of the New Year is often much slower — there are no gifts to be bought and many consumers are paying off any holiday credit card bills. But, just because Christmas is over doesn’t mean the sales should be over too — these six after Christmas sale ideas could help keep a bit of that momentum going in a normally slow season.
Donate.
Charitable giving often peaks during the holiday season — which often leaves charities struggling in January too. By donating to a non-profit for every sale, businesses can draw in customers (and maybe even earn a few tax breaks). The donation can be a percentage of every sale, or a product donated for every purchase made. To really open up the opportunities, find a charity willing to spread the word about the sale to their donors.
Create daily bargains.
Offering a big discount — but only for one day — is a marketing technique that can work well after Christmas. Promoting one-day sales throughout January can help boost marketing efforts by giving customers a reason to keep checking your website or social media page for the sale of the day.
Create an event.
The holidays are often busy — so while hosting a holiday event is great, many customers will have more time once the holidays have passed. Put on an event to help relieve cabin fever, a fitness event to help with those New Year’s resolutions or a special event tied specifically to the type of product or service your business offers.
Open up opportunities with buy now, pay later options.
One of the reasons spending slows after the holidays is that many are still recovering from all the gift-related spending. Offering a way for consumers to make their purchases now and pay later — either through a business credit card, a layaway program or a service payment plan — can help ease that spending freeze.
Offer coupons.
High value coupons can be pretty enticing for many consumers, especially if they allow them to create their own sale. Help your customers pick up what they didn’t get under the tree with a coupon good off any item or service.
Build a rewards program.
The start of the year is a great time to introduce new perks to the most loyal customers. Creating an incentive program rewards customers for repeat business. A cafe can offer every tenth coffee free, a photography studio every tenth print order a 25 percent discount. The possibilities are broad — just make sure to make the program enticing enough (and easy enough) for customers to want to sign up.
Shopping patterns are often slow after the holidays, except for the small rush of consumers spending those gift cards. By offering an after Christmas sale, businesses can help keep some of that holiday momentum going.