Father’s Day is around the corner, and you can still make inroads to grab some of the dollars that are going to be out there.
U.S. consumers are expected to spend more than $20.1 billion on gifts and other items for Father’s Day this year, a record high, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insight & Analytics. Total spending for the holiday is estimated at around $174 per buyer.
You still have some time to add some tactics and increase your sales. Just pick and choose from the ideas below. Always remember that the actual buyers this time are not the final users and you need to appeal to them as well. They need to like it (whether it is a product, a subscription, tickets or professional services) in order to buy it. So, you may be selling a set of barbecue spices, but if the buyer is a daughter or wife, packaging will be important in the decision.
Go bold and have fun with these 12 ideas:
- Leverage summer vacations. It is not easy to choose the right gift for Dad. A little help from you can nudge your customers to spend their allocatFather’s thinkied budget in your store. Thus, promoting “summer” gifts that could be used by fathers thinking about summer vacations is a great way to go. For instance, a restaurant can create a menu item like “Summer Breeze Salad for Dad.”
- Email marketing, email marketing and more email marketing. Looking at your customer data and designing a series of short and fun emails with embedded suggestions for gifts is something customers welcome when they lack time and ideas to pick and choose the right gift. If you have not set up an account for email marketing, you can find good solutions at GoDaddy email marketing, ConstantContact, Mailchimp or others.
- Social media contests. They are good to create momentum and boost engagement. At the end of the day, you want your customers not only to buy this one time, but to return. A social media contest on Facebook or Instagram is a fast and simple tactic. For instance: ask them to upload a picture of their Dad and add a hashtag that describes him #adventurous, #Mrknowitall #FunDad #Myhero, etc. Or anything related to your store. For example: Pick from the menu what Dad would like and post it on IG, those participating will get a $10 discount or free dessert.
- Host a live event. Though we are not yet totally in the clear and are still following the CDC guidelines, you can create a live event in your store or office. The event does not have to relate to your products. Live music or food are always fun and efficient ways to attract traffic.
- Special Space: As with all celebration days: create a special area in your store that’s about Father’s Day. Décor and details play an important role in the decision-making process of the customers.
- Gift guides. These are very handy. You can create blog posts with lists, send them as a PDF in a newsletter, distribute a card with a QR code during the previous weekend with the gift guide, promote it on social media, etc.
- Use any combination: most of the ideas above are great to be used in tandem. Just make sure that you have clarity of purpose, consistency on the graphic design, and messaging. You want attention, not confusion.
- BOGO deals BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) deals on your most popular male oriented products.
- Scarcity marketing. As humans, we tend to stock up and save for difficult times. Also, we tend to choose what is different and exclusive. Thus, setting a limit on the amount of products or services available is a great way to increase the appetite for what we offer. “Valid only offers,” “only XX left,” “Now or never,” etc.
- Sense of urgency. Countdown timers are a great way to create a sense of urgency and remind buyers that Father’s Day is coming soon. It’s really coming soon!
- Piggyback on Pride Month. Same-sex parenting allows you to create promotions that play well with June being recognized as LGBTQ Pride Month.
- Partner with other local stores. You can boost your sales this Father’s Day by offering a basket of products, services, and subscriptions with neighboring stores. This will expand your clientele for this time and in the future.
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