The holiday shopping season has officially kicked off! People are in the mood to spend and they have long lists of people to get gifts for. That means that all that merchandise you ordered is going to fly off the shelves and make space for new products next year, right?
Maybe not.
You might have some great merch, but you’re also competing with every other company out there to get potential customers’ attention. So how do you cut through the holiday “noise” and get your customers to notice you? Start by following these 5 tips!
#1: DON’T LEAVE IT ON THE SHELF
How cool does a t-shirt really look when it’s folded in a pile? Not very. We’re not saying that you should throw your merch everywhere, but we are saying that you should get people to model it. Give an employee a free tee or hoodie or hat or scarf to wear around the tasting room, or ask friends to model the clothes for pictures that you can use on your social media or website, and in your newsletter. Either way, people make the merch more engaging and customers are more likely to notice.
#2: MAKE IT A PACKAGE
Do you have a t-shirt that mentions a bottle you sell, or a sweatshirt that matches a hat? Then make it a package! People might not think of matching the items up themselves, but if you make it a package, you have a better chance of selling more products. If you want, you can even knock a couple of dollars off the total cost if people buy the items together. If you really want to get creative, call the packages “pairings” and lay out drinks (that people can buy by the bottle or growler) that pair with different merchandise. It’s a win-win, customers have an easy time putting together a great gift, and you move merch faster.
#3: GET SOCIAL
People are spending a lot of money this season. So show them some love with a little giveaway. Post a picture of a product and ask your followers to like the photo and tag friends in the comments to enter. You can even ask them to share the picture on their own social media pages for additional entries. If you do this, you’ll be blown away by the number of people your post reaches. And a larger reach equals more sales.
#4: REARRANGE YOUR DISPLAY
Has your merchandise display been the same for a long time? Sometimes all you need is a little refresh to get people to notice your products. If people have been seeing the same thing for a long time, they might start to ignore it. Try to find a fresh, attractive way to lay things out that’s different than what you’ve had before. Add some festive decorations or an extra sign or two promoting specific items. If there’s more to see, then more people will look.
#5: REMEMBER, SHARING IS CARING
Sometimes people just need to see the product to know that they want to buy it – so put it on social media and in your newsletter. You might even want to update your website to feature holiday gift ideas or write a holiday gift guide as a blog post. Just make sure to post your products – or packages – to remind people that you have great items to offer. Staying at the front of your customer’s mind is key. That way, when they’re trying to think of the perfect gift, you have a better chance that they’ll think of you first.