Every year right after Christmas retailers mark down merchandise. What’s different this year is that mark downs started earlier than ever before and look to continue right up to the holiday. There have been no shortages of deals available to shoppers. Retailers have continued to invest in media to attract holiday shoppers. This year sales started before Black Friday and have continued right up to Christmas. Given these hyper-competitive market conditions what sort of post-Christmas sales are you planning? What sort of bargains will you promote? Some retailers have been handing out special coupons for after Christmas sales as shoppers make their Christmas purchases. What sort of media will you use to attract shoppers? Why should shoppers come to your store with so many deals being offered at other stores? Now is the time to come up with the right answers.Think of post-Christmas as a separate selling event that requires some of your best strategic marketing and merchandising efforts. This year more retailers did not wait until December 26th to start their after Christmas sales. So customers are being exposed to post-Christmas sales deals even before Christmas. Online retailers will continue to offer special promotions and coupons to attract shoppers just like they have with Cyber Monday and Free Shipping Day promotions. So what can brick and mortar jewelry retailers do to better compete for post-Christmas sales?

It all starts with being a destination location for shoppers. Be sure to communicate targeted messages with former customers. What a great time to offer a matching piece of jewelry to go along with a recently purchased necklace, bracelet or ring. What about offering another piece from a designer line? What customers have birthdays or anniversaries in January or February? How might you motivate their relatives and friends to consider a piece of jewelry as a gift? How might you use those wish list items customers have expressed an interest in? Don’t just assume shoppers are going to stop by. Plan now to motivate shoppers to make a special trip to your store after Christmas. These are not the times to approach business as usual. Every sales opportunity needs to be thoroughly investigated and exploited to the store’s greatest advantages. What are you doing to earn more after Christmas sales this year?

JCK