Reading our article will open your eyes to what’s really going on during the holidays. There are a lot of tactics big businesses are using in their holiday marketing that go completely unnoticed. These businesses use the allure of Christmas to draw us in and many of us don’t realize it’s happened until we are leaving the store with a full cart. They very tactfully use all 5 of our senses to take advantage of the feelings that go along with this season. If not our feelings, they try to appeal to our desire to save money.

The holiday season is a great environment for boosting sales. It is the season of gift giving, family gatherings, and parties. There are a lot of different ways Christmas can be incorporated into marketing strategies for the holidays. By reading our collection of holiday marketing tricks, you will be more aware of the things that go on and choose if you want to be naughty or nice with your holiday marketing strategies. 

Offering savings & sales

A very clear part of holiday marketing is the discounts and sales. To increase sales, they discount things or offer special deals to save you money. Many stores participate in this with large “Sale” signs, percentage discounts near the products, and advertising about their various discounts and deals. This type of holiday marketing can come in the form of direct discounts or coupons for future purchases. These can lead to returning for additional purchases to take advantage of the savings. An example of this tactic being used would be the deal Target did this year. They offered a 20% off coupon after the purchase of $50 or more. The coupon could be redeemed during your next visit. It’s like Franklin P. Jones said, “A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist.” A lot of times the idea of saving money actually encourages us to spend more money than we originally would have. 

Providing gift bundles

To simplify things for the holidays, a lot of stores will offer gift bundles. This could be anything from a gift basket full of seasonal goodies to special combo packs of similar items that can go together. These types of gifts simplify the gift getting experience for the customer and give a sense of saving money in most cases. The thing most people don’t know is that just because something comes in a bundle does not mean you will actually save money. The simplifying part is the biggest emphasis. There have been a number of years where my wife and I have fallen prey to these gift bundles and gotten my younger sister a spa kit, or a brother in law some kind of men’s toiletry kit.

Instilling a sense of urgency

A lot of the deals or special seasonal items are limited time only, or they are available while supplies last. These sorts of things create a sense of urgency in customers and they can drive up sales. The feeling of something being exclusive and time running out will be enough to knock someone off the fence and get them to commit to the purchase. This tactic is the bread and butter of the holidays. This goes along with the idea of both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Limited time offers can be used throughout the holiday season because most everyone is working towards the deadline of Christmas. An example of this urgency tactic would be Disney+’s Cyber Monday deal. They offered a deal for a year membership with $10 off.

Using pricing tricks

This tactic is not to be confused with the tactic of discounts and sales. In this tactic, you are creating the illusion of savings. A lot of people are looking for bargains around the holidays. Because of this, a lot of businesses are wanting to make potential customers feel like they are saving money. The idea of making prices feel smaller is a tool that a lot of places use especially at Christmas time. There are a lot of tricks that can be done with pricing, but a big one that is used even year round is done by simply removing 1 cent from the listed price. They can easily make a product that is $200 into a product that is $199.99, and that feels better to buy for most people. By removing one cent, we see that the 2 at the front is now a 1 and since it feels smaller, we are saving money. Another pricing trick is to put the original price right next to the current discounted price. This comparison of prices creates a feeling of savings and adds perceived value. These price comparisons are hardly a good measure of a deal. There have even been some cases where big businesses have driven up their prices prior to the holiday season only to drop the price back to near the original value.

Including free shipping

Most everybody loves the idea of saving money on shipping. Shipping can really be expensive, on top of what you are paying for your package, depending on what it is you are buying and the time frame you are wanting it in. By offering free shipping, many businesses are able to remove one more obstacle that could lose them a sale. Similar to the idea of discounts, saving money on shipping can also be that little push a customer needs to finish putting their order through. 

Giving gift suggestions

Lots of people have trouble knowing what to buy for family and friends of different age groups and genders. This is where providing gift suggestions or guides can come in handy. Lots of businesses organize their catalogs according to the type of person you might need to get gifts for this Christmas. There are a lot of businesses that do it and even some celebrities. Oprah Winfrey is known for doing lists of her favorite things where she would endorse products that she really liked. People like to hear recommendations for things and positive reviews, especially from a seemingly relatable or reliable source. If you provide recommendations for your products or services, you can give people insights and simplify their shopping experience. Anything you can do to make the gift finding process easier is appreciated by the customers. It also allows businesses to direct customers to the premium items and services.

Cultivating the spirit of giving

In stores and on websites, it can be easy to spot the references to getting gifts. These hints at gift giving are there to remind us we have some shopping obligations this time of year. We all need to figure out our gifts at least before the 25th of December. Not all of these hints are as blatant. Some of these reminders come in more subtle forms such as the atmosphere in the store. This can be done with messages in ads or in the clever use of movies and music. Many businesses though will focus their messages on gift giving and the idea of giving quality gifts to your loved ones. 

Utilizing messages about family

Going along with the message of giving, comes the message of family. Lots of businesses use families as the focus of their advertisements and commercials. They do holiday messages focused on family time and the idea of togetherness. At the center of it all or the end of the commercial, they have their product or service. These messages focus on promoting the feelings that come with being with our families during the holiday season and tie it back in to their product or service. They use the food, atmosphere, and the welcoming feeling we get when we are home. This message can be applied to ads, websites, and store displays to take advantage of the importance of family this time of year. 

Offering Christmas nostalgia

Many businesses choose to focus on the nostalgia of all the Christmas trimmings. There are the lights, smells, snowflakes, trees, and wreaths. There are a lot of symbols of the holidays that trigger memories and fondness for Christmas’ past. These symbols are used all the time on products, displays in stores, and online. Cookies are sold with Christmas designs, packaging has Christmas trees or snowflakes, and decorations are often put up in the store to commemorate the season. These things are done in order to sell the Christmas nostalgia. Along with all the visual things that can be done, there are also certain smells and sounds that can be used. Lots of stores have Christmas music playing or use bells and other holiday sounds in their marketing.

Using tactful layouts

Stores and websites are often organized in a way that directs people to buy certain things. Impulse buy and clearance items are near the front of the store, cheaper items might be placed next to the more expensive options, and the items they want you to buy are often put at eye level. There is a psychology to how things are laid out in a store or online. By using these different tricks a lot of big businesses are able to guide their customer traffic through the shopping process with a lot of success. There is a reason Walmart and other stores organize things the way they do on Black Friday. Their goal is to disperse the different items on sale throughout the store in a way that encourages customers to also see tempting things that are not on sale.

Cashing in on customer loyalty

Customer loyalty and loyalty programs are a big thing to utilize over the holidays. Bigger brands will release special Christmas commercials that are often simple and display their brand front and center. Businesses with loyalty programs will offer exclusive deals to members, give special products away, or offer some kind of reward when special conditions are met. These are great ways that businesses reward year round customers on the holidays and promote more spending at the same time. Some additional methods of building loyalty are the sale of discounted gift cards and offering membership discounts. Anything to try and gain loyalty can be of benefit to the business.

Participating in charitable causes

During this season of giving, there are many opportunities to help with certain charitable causes. Businesses will often partner with these charities or offer donations to accompany certain purchases that people make. These charitable efforts reflect well on the business and can increase their reputation. These sorts of things tug at the heartstrings and leave a lasting impression of your business’ good will in people’s hearts. An example of this was when Amazon did their Trucks Across America initiative a few years ago. They had 17 trucks take packages of clothing, toys, and other things to families in need during the holiday season.

Including iconic holiday characters

During the winter months it is very common to see elves, Santa, reindeer, and other festive icons. These characters are near and dear to our hearts and they will trigger positive feelings from younger years. This also draws on our love of classic Christmas movies and shows. These characters can be used in a number of ways. Santas at the mall, characters used on packaging and displays, and by using festive characters in commercials. Big businesses know that they can draw in the young and the young at heart by using these characters.

Using product placement

Product placement is something that has been used in Christmas movies all the way back to Its A Wonderful Life. In the movie there is a reference to National Geographic. Whether or not it made a significant impact on sales the year that movie came out or not, every family that watches the movie since will will see the brand of National Geographic. This also happens in movies like Home Alone, Elf, and A Christmas Story. These classic movies all have product placement in them. From references to soda brands to special toys from the time, they have what you might consider little subtle commercials in them. Any of these movies we watch each year can spark an interest in the products and brands they incorporated.

Giving away samples

The idea of giving samples is a great way to hook potential customers. This could be giving away food, products, or services. The first example that people think of though is the food. The holidays are a great time for delicious food. Stores will often give away food samples to increase awareness of their products. There are also opportunities online to give samples in the way of limited vouchers or some version of your offered services to let people try out what you have to offer.

Offering credit options

Lastly, many stores provide some kind of credit options. Kohls comes to mind when I think of this tactic. We have gone to Kohls a number of times and they always offer their credit card. It can be a great way for people to spread out the costs of larger item purchases. This helps when people have issues with fitting more expensive things or a number of purchases into their budgets. This tactic appeals to both the idea of savings and convenience. 

Now you know a little more about all the different ways big businesses are encouraging sales. Not only can you be aware of what is going on and make more educated decisions about your holiday purchases, but you can take some of these principles and apply them to your own marketing. It is up to you to decide if you want to be naughty or nice with your holiday marketing efforts. There are a lot of ways to take advantage of the season. Be sure your business is taking advantage and you are avoiding being taken advantage of yourselves.

If you have any comments, questions, or marketing needs contact us. We’d love to help!