10 Ways to Boost Holiday Sales!

We know that many of you who shop with us are boutique owners and we also understand how hard it can be to be a boutique owner competing with mall sales during the holidays (no matter how many dedicated usual customers you have).  So, we want to give you these handy dandy tips for the boosting your sales during this holiday season!

1)  Demonstrate:  This may sound a little silly or obvious, but trust us, it works:  If your trying to sell someone on a lovely Wild Galloping Horse Crystal Brooch, actually hold it up to their shirt to show how well the colors work, or how it boosts their whole outfit!  Given the chance to see for themselves, customers will be far more easily persuaded to buy.

2)  Pre-wrapped Gift ideas: Many people get invited to last minute parties, or gatherings over the holidays, and they have a need to pick something up while on the way to the event.  As long as they can be assured of what's inside (clear wrapping, or a picture on the outside that can be removed), this is a HUGE convenience, and time saver for the person on the go, and will reflect well on your place of business.  Great for a quick sale!

3)  Gift Wrapping:  Let's face it, it's not the most pleasant task of the holiday season, so many people appreciate it when it's done for them.  This will definitely encourage them to be back to your store as they remember what a great service you provide!

4)  Wish Lists:  How much less stress would the holidays be if you can be assured that everything you gave everyone would be enjoyed and not returned, or cast off to a shelf somewhere?  Offering a holiday wish list is a little like offering a wedding or baby registry.  People  pick out exactly what they would like to receive, you keep it on file for their friends and family and everyone's life gets a little easier!  What a great boost for the holidays!

5)  Gift Cards or Gift Certificates for After The Holidays:  The holidays are exhausting as we all know.  Why not give your customers (particularly your usual's and faithfuls) a reason to come back and reward themselves for surviving it!  Once things calm down, people like to take some time and focus on themselves for a bit.  Why not encourage them to do so in your boutique?!

6)  Treats:  This is a sneaky little trick that almost never fails!  After all, who doesn't love to walk into a store around the holidays and smell something they associate with holiday cheer?!  Have a station with hot apple cider and cookies available!  Holiday shoppers make the association without even realizing it most of the time, and of course everyone loves the boost!

7)  Focus on "Add On Sales":  If for example your selling one of our fantastic Pretty Ballerina In Arabesque Scarf Hangers, why not also encourage them to tack on this lovely and very seasonally appropriate Confetti Infinity Scarf in Deep Red and White, and voila!  Two items sold that make perfect sens together!  The customer gets to feel how much you want to help them, and they get to be the perfect gift giver for the holiday!  Win/win!

8)  Make Product Knowledge a Priority:  I was in sales for many years, and with my experience came one inevitable fact:  The more you know about a product, the easier it is to sell to absolutely anyone!  The more facts people hear about a product, the less reasons they have to question the thought to buy it. Selling product is not about convincing.  It's about creating road blocks for all the excuses people can come up with not to buy.

9)  Allow and Encourage Touching:  Unless you are in the business of antiques that are better left untouched do to their fragile and preserved nature, you should always welcome and encourage people to touch and handle your products.  Something as simple as "Feel how soft this Faux Fur scarf is!" can be the difference between a sale and a passed opportunity.

10)  Be Ready for the Last Minute Rush:  We all know it's going to happen.  More and more people are waiting until the last minute to rush in and buy their holiday gifts.  This is the time you need to consider extending hours, making sure you have enough inventory, and making sure you've budgeted for the entire season (including the possibility of the returns after the lights have gone out).

So there you are!  Hopefully you found one or two of these tips helpful!  Got questions?  Feel free leave us a comment on this blog!  Good luck out there, and know we're here to help you out!

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