“Christmas is really mid-December through to mid-January or even late January. That’s a trading period of about five weeks,” Walker says.
“It’s all about databases, loyalty programs, VIP nights, and encouraging people to buy their Christmas gifts earlier than the traditional period. Think in a slightly different cyclical way.”
“Also, use the pre-Christmas period to give people incentives to come back in January. For example, 15% off any product purchase between this date and this date.”
Zimmerman says retailers also need to think about their timing with regard to Christmas decorations and music.
“Talk to the shopping centre you operate in and find out when they’re intending to put their Christmas decorations up. Look at the details of your marketing plan and see if it fits in with theirs,” he says.
“If you start heading into shopping centres in September and you hear Christmas carols, you’re going to turn around and say, ‘This is a turnoff’.”
“If you’re going to play some Christmas music, disperse it with some other music. As Christmas gets closer, maybe add another Christmas carol [to the playlist].”
According to Walker, it’s not enough for retailers to put up a few decorations and hope for the best.
“They need to make sure they’ve got a story for Christmas – a unique and imaginative story,” he says.
Similarly, Zimmerman says retailers need to tailor their Christmas campaigns to suit their business, insisting “you’ve got to find a balance”.
“For every business, that balance will be different. Let’s for instance take a Christmas shop. You would probably want to start putting things out earlier than if you were in a retail shop selling sandals,” he says.
“Consumers won’t think about Christmas attire until Christmas parties. [Fashion and shoe retailers] might want to be looking at that.”
“Towards the middle of November, you could probably put some signage around asking, ‘Have you got your sandals or dress for your Christmas party?’ It’s about putting that teaser out there.”
“With Christmas spending, consumers are starting later and later… but online influences will change that,” Walker says.
“Orders from offshore websites will take two or three weeks to get here, so domestic online retailers have to think about who their competition is. See what their weaknesses are and then go hard at it.”
“With quicker turnaround times and immediate delivery, that’s a clear point of difference.”
According to Walker, there will be some serious cross-channel marketing this year, so retailers need to revisit all of their customer touch points, whether they’re online or in-store.
“They need a good in-store environment and good online procurement, including a mobile-optimised site for consumers to purchase products via their smartphone,” he says.
