It’s the holiday season and this could be the peak of your sales throughout the year. That is great, but a lot of people miss this as an opportunity build and retain customers. While people are searching for that special gift for each other, hopefully you have already bumped up your marketing effort and new customers could come across your store/service/product for the first time. Many people make the mistake of selling their product and are content in the sale at this busy time of year. However, look past the profit of a single sale and look at the potential for a returning customer throughout the year. A return customer will spend more on multiple visits than a single holiday season sale. Here are some tips you can use to make the sale a pleasant experience and to encourage a customer to want to return.

Don’t rush them

Oftentimes during the holidays, stores are so overwhelmed with customers that they try to process every transaction as quickly as possible to reduce the length of a checkout line. Although this is good for the people waiting, it makes the experience of a purchase impersonal and unappreciated. Make every effort to not have the customer feel pressured to get in and out quickly. Make them feel like their purchase is appreciated. To allow more time for each customer, try and maximise the number of checkouts available. Don’t forget that many stores open temporary checkouts just for the holidays in anticipation of many customers. You can open credit only lines so there is no need for a cash register. Perhaps you could have some small treats for those waiting in line to make their wait easier and seem shorter. Chocolate is always a winner. If the treat is something you sell, bonus, they may return to buy it in the future.

Rewards

A loyal customer likes to feel like their patronage is appreciated. How better to express this than a rewards program. A customer will be more encouraged to purchase an item from you if they are accumulating a reward that can benefit them later. This is such a simple system that many places have incorporated it simply because it works. There is no reason you could not apply such a system whether you are a small of large business.

Build Relationships

One of the biggest advantages a business owner can have is personal relationships with customers. Customers prefer to deal with people they like. Even knowing your customer’s name is a benefit, and the customer feels more comfortable in a business to whom they are known.

Maybe you consider yourself too much of an introvert? No problem, have your staff get to know the customers. Encourage them to chat with the customers and remember their names. If there are too many customers or too many employees, your rewards system can be a method to help employees know customers names. A rewards card can identify the customer at the point of sale and the employee can then address the customer by their name making the transaction a more personal experience.

Return Incentives

Like the rewards system mentioned above, the sale you make during the holiday season is an excellent opportunity to incentivise the customer to return at a future date. As an example, if you are selling a gift card to a customer which they will give to someone as a gift, why not give them a gift card or discount card for themselves to be used at a future date. You can pre-date this to after the holiday season so they return off-peak and may convert into a frequent visitor. If possible, remember to get their details so you can personalise their experience on their return.

Advertise

You have new customers coming into your store or visiting your website, there is no better time to advertise future events. If you have events occurring later in the year, advertise them during the busiest season so people know they are occurring. Perhaps have some save-the-date cards available to them to take home or add an option for an email reminder or mailing list on the website or in-store.

Reviews

People rely on reviews to determine if they want to hire you or purchase from you. Reviews can be in person or online (e.g. Google/Yelp/Houzz). Due to the volume of customers during the holidays, there is no better time to ask for positive reviews. Again, an incentive will result in a significantly higher amount of reviews. Perhaps you could offer a prize draw for all the online reviews you receive before X date. A referral bonus could be offered for in-person referrals.

In summary

Many business owners see the holiday season as a temporal boost in sales but miss the fact that a single sale will rarely equate to what could be a loyal repeat customer throughout the year. Take the time to look past that single sale and see the customer as a supporter of your business. Without customers, no business will survive so make every effort to show them that you appreciate their business and encourage their return using the tips described above.