When it comes to seasonal promotions, most retail customers and business owners think of the winter holiday season; however, at Card Market, we feel that the summer season is an often overlooked opportunity for fun and engaging promotional sales. Like always, the secret to summer promotions is to know your audience—depending on your location, this could change and fluctuate in the summer months.
Business owners often dread the “summer slump” that comes with the off-peak season. The key is to be proactive and plan for this dip in sales and then take action to minimize its effects! Just as during the winter holiday season, you should design your gift card campaigns around the joys of the summer season.
In this article, we will discuss specific marketing strategies you can employ to increase your gift card sales this summer.
Plan Ahead This Holiday Season
Since seasonal sales patterns follow reliable trends, retail business owners should spend time creating a promotional sales strategy to create a balance between peak sales season and off-peak season. Generally, peak season is November through January when shoppers are on the prowl for holiday gifts.
This is a great time to be proactive and plan a holiday gift card promotion (potentially a buy one-get-one free), which customers are allowed to redeem from June through August. This has the dual effect of stimulating gift card sales immediately, but with the promise of also boosting sales during the off-peak months.
A Timely Way to Say Thank You
Retail businesses should always have a planned promotion to say thank you to their loyal customer base. Why not plan this loyalty promotion for the summer sales-slump? An example of this might look like an email promotion which includes a $5 to $10 gift card for subscribers.
We also recommend pairing this loyalty promotion with the launch of a new seasonal product to create an extra incentive for customers to cash in on their gift cards now rather than later. Also: don’t forget to celebrate those summer birthdays! Another great seasonal promotion is to give a little extra gift card balance to reward your customers with summer birthdays.
Know Your (Summertime) Audience
If your business is located in a town that experiences a population fluctuation during the summer months—a college town, or a popular tourist destination—you should keep this in mind while planning any summer promotions.
If your town’s population dips during these months, it’s time to ramp up those loyalty rewards for your local customer base! Likewise, if your location happens to receive a lot of tourists in the summer months, it’s a wise idea to move your marketing to the outdoors with ample sidewalk and window signs, where any newcomers passing by can easily discover your store.
Market a Summertime Experience
Summer is about fun, so shouldn’t your seasonal summer promotions be as well? Aside from creating limited edition summer products, you could also consider creating contests or events to engage customers.
Challenge your customers to design limited edition summer apparel; the winner gets a gift card! Or maybe even a promotion in which those who buy a gift card in the months of June through August, get their names entered in a drawing for a gift basket. The possibilities are endless!
Ready to Increase Your Gift Card Sales This Summer?
Card Market provides a full spectrum of gift card services from design to printing. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!