The question is, when is it time to start thinking about Christmas if you are an entrepreneur, running a business, owner of an online shop or any other enterprise that provides a service, training or goods to the public or other businesses and are be affected by Christmas ?
Some really forward looking people start planning Christmas and all of the logistical necessities that this extra busy time can entail in January, in fact the minute the door is closing on one festive season, the window of opportunity is just beginning to open for the following season of good cheer with its looser wallets and purses.
Some businesses rely so much on Christmas, it would be a complete dereliction to ignore this prime time of the year. It is incredibly important to plan as much of your business activity as possible during this extra busy time of year, especially if you are a company that requires training for its workforce, making sure that all plans are in place in good time can avoid disastrous consequences and lost revenue, not to mention loss of consumer confidence.
Let’s look at some facts that might help put into perspective the very real proposition that the Christmas period is ultimately the only important time of year and all other times are simply rehearsing for it.
At least half of small businesses rely so entirely on this seasonal trading that without it there would be no growth, almost 25% of the entire yearly revenue is taken during the festive trading period.
The average household in Britain spends around £800 at this time of year, this is a conservative estimate. This distils into a figure of around £40 for each present that UK shoppers buy for and on average we all buy 14 or 15 presents, this is in stark contrast to shoppers on the continent who spend around £20 per gift and buy only six or seven gifts each year.
Online shopping has rocketed over the years and peaked in 2017 at an all-time high of around £30 billion, this trend looks set to continue over the coming years with a massive 80% of shoppers in Britain saying that they purchase their gifts online. It is also a fact that 70% of the U.K.’s male population state that they are unlikely to buy gifts in a shop when they can obtain them online.
An incredible £7 billion was spent by shoppers using their mobiles in 2017, bringing into sharp focus the necessity for any forward-looking business to have an online presence that is easy to use and navigate the most up-to-date version possible to make the shopping experience as easy and quick as it can be, those businesses lagging behind the online technology will suffer the consequences as consumers will most certainly make them pay a heavy price by taking their online footfall elsewhere.
40% of discerning gift buyers in UK go online as early as August and September looking for festive bargains that will look good for them when handed over on that very important morning in December.
The lesson in this for all businesses is to start capturing those clients as early as possible with Christmas offers and bargains to tempt them in.
The truly smart business manager or entrepreneur will never leave their Christmas planning until November and December when the decorations are going up, the most successful entrepreneurs will have their plans laid in stone and the nets out to capture this most lucrative of times way, way in advance, Certainly by the end of summer Christmas will loom large in their thoughts and absolutely the wheels of their plan will be grinding into motion by the end of September and no later.
Being ready for the logistical demands that the festive period puts on businesses of all sorts it’s not just a case of hiring the extra staff paying for training courses or even ensuring that the extra stock that will be required is indeed available in your warehouse, you have to look Christmas ready, you have to make your clients feel Christmassy the minute they encounter you on any level, be it in person, in the training room or even, and probably more importantly, on your website and in your social media images and messages on your website should truly reflect the fact that Christmas is coming and make your visitors feel the most welcome that they can be.
Now that the summer has gone by and we are all subjected to grey days and drizzly rain a true lift to the spirit of all human beings is to look forward and imagine ourselves in a winter wonderland themed with Father Christmas, Christmas trees, rosy chested Robbins and wondrous winter snowy landscapes, all images that we should be putting out over the Internet.
It really does not matter what you’re selling or what your service is, you will definitely do better and increase spend by your consumer if they feel jolly and nothing creates jolly better than to identify with the jolly, rotund bringer of Christmas himself with his glowing cheeks flowing white hair & beard and his shiny red suit.
making your clients feel good will invariably result in more revenue, this may sound very cynical but if you don’t do it someone else will and that someone else will take the benefit that could’ve been yours.
Not only is the festive season a time for storing away profits to keep you going through the lean times of the year but it is also time for you to free your inner Santa Claus, if you become the embodiment of Christmas and all of the cheer that that brings with it, you will invariably create a feeling in your workplace and in your customers that will definitely set an atmosphere conducive to higher profits.
