selling based on seasonality: creative ways to drive holiday purchases year-round

Selling Based on Seasonality

Creative Ways to Drive Holiday Purchases Year-Round

Presented by

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Whether you are just starting your business or you’ve been in business for years, one aspect often taken for granted is the sales function. As funny as it sounds, many business owners forget to plan how their business will drive revenue. Just because you’ve opened your doors for business doesn’t mean customers will come; building a solid customer base and generating new sales each month requires planning, preparation and hard work!

Let’s take a step back and look at why someone would seek out your companyor the services you offer. Most sales are likely driven by a specific customer need: staff uniforms, new signs, team trophies, special gifts, to name a few. To grow your sales, it’s thus a two-pronged approach:

1. Expand community awareness of your company and the products you offer (so customers know where to go when they have a need) and,

2. Create additional consumer need. But how, you ask, can you create ad-ditional need? A tactic that retailers of all sizes use very successfully: selling

based on seasonality. Even though your business may not be a traditional retail store, you can still capitalize on the principle behind seasonality

and use it to boost your sales.

Seasonality capitalizes on occasion. It provides a natural time-based selling approach to promote purchases around an event and leverages consumer emotions to prompt impulse purchases. And the philosophy behind seasonal-

ity isn’t limited to just the major holidays. If Christmas isn’t around the corner, create an occasion of your own. Sometimes the obscure and fun ideas catch on with customers, and can also capture the attention of media giving you priceless exposure. With this spirit in mind, here are outside-the-box sales ideas for every month of the year…let the creative promotions begin!

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you own an awards shop, sign shop, apparel decorating business or offer a combination of graphic services!

Selling Based on Seasonality Creative Ways to Drive Holiday Purchases Year-Round

JANUARY

Happy New Year! For many, the New Year represents a new start, new goals, new ambitions and of course, resolutions to do things differently. Think about your own thoughts and emotions this time of year. What are some creative

ways you can position your products according to the natural thought pro-cess of your customers to prompt an impulse sale?

If New Years feels too ordinary or “old hat, ” how about a “new hat” – after all, National Hat Day is January 15. Perhaps this is the occasion you were waiting for, perfect to run that embroidered cap special promotion. Or what new and different hat styles can you prominently promote and display, to give customers an excuse to buy a fun new hat?

January is a month of new starts—use it to your advantage to set your busi-ness up for a profitable year.

Here are some message ideas suitable for motivational plaques or on performance t-shirts for the gym:

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe”

“It’s time”

“Positively Optimistic” and “Positively Pessimistic”

January 15: National Hat Day

STARTWHERE YOU ARE.IT’S

TIME


February 14:Valentine’s Day

$131 the amount the average person

spends on Valentine’s Day. But spending isn’t limited to

spouses and loved ones

$4.52 the average amount pet owners

spent on their pets on Valentine’s Day in 2012

40.7% The percentage of people

who will use their Smartphone to purchase Valentine’s gifts.

6 million The number of people

who expect or are planning a marriage proposal.

FEBRUARY

The obvious day this month is Valentine’s Day. To help your shop prepare, see our buying behavior statistics, as compiled by CNN in February, 2014 (on left).

February is the month to celebrate love….your customers will LOVE the per-sonalized gifts you have to offer—make sure you’re prepared with plenty of options and show them what’s possible. Don’t be shy about planting your gift suggestions; when you promote a more intimate and meaningful alternative to candy and roses, customers are more apt to spend their money with you vs. the florist next door.

$131

$4.52$40.7

$6,000,000

A&E JAnuAry 2014 • a-e-mag.com 6968 a-e-mag.com • A&E JAnuAry 2014

Heat transfer Vinyl

TheMagicTouch USA says that you can become a one-stop-solution for team shirts and team trophies. Hidden assets could be an easy way to expand your business in

2014. If you are not currently decorating apparel yet own a laser engraver, you

have a huge opportunity at your fingertips. Better yet, do you own a plotter/cutter? Either method of cutting vinyl offers a path to additional business

with existing customers and a launching pad to new business. The company offers 20” heat transfer vinyl for numbers/letters

in a full array of standard colors, neon and glitter.

888-349-2378www.themagictouchusa.com

ThE ProblEmWhen we laser engrave, we are simply

removing or vaporizing the substrate and exposing what is underneath. This is extremely true with CO

2 lasers. For fiber-mark or YAG laser operators, you can tweak your laser settings from vaporizing the substrate to changing the composition of the substrate.

The common impression of engravers is that fibermark or YAG lasers can obtain a very decent contrast without any addi-tional applications such as Thermark or Cerdec. This theory is largely associated with laser-marking materials like stainless steel or other bare metals. But, when laser engraving an organic product such as solid wood plaques with a YAG or fibermark laser, success will not be found due to the wavelength of the laser beam.

So there have been some techniques to help with increasing the contrast of your laser-engraved graphics on wood products using a CO

2 laser. The typical solution involves applying some form of color fill or paint fill. While these methods provide some aid to the problem, they can lead to another challenging part of laser engraving wood products. Beneath the surface of solid wood products is an endless quantity of tiny veins and canals. Thus, by applying paint to the laser-en-graved area, the paint can migrate into these veins and give the appearance of blurred graphics. So, what is the solution to this problem?

ThE SoluTionIf you are laser engraving a dark wood

like walnut, the solution is rather simple. If you require a higher contrast, you can use liquid shoe polish. We like to use the less-expensive liquid shoe polish, as it is a bit more watered down and is easier to clean up. Using the foam applicator of the liquid shoe polish, apply the liquid shoe polish to the surface of the wood. Because

Dog Days For The Laser Engraver

Believe it or not, laser engraving wood products does come with some real challenges. These challenges are typically due to the organic and natural composition of the wood. It goes without say-

ing that not every piece of wood is identical, and thus slight differences can be expected. Often the complaint with laser-engraved solid wood products is the lack of contrast. Recently, we had a job to laser engrave some solid maple plaques. And to overcome this potential problem of visible graphics, we chose to use some tricks.

Laser engraving by Richard Korbyl

(Kim, I put the PDF in the pic file that shows how Richard placed the pix; laserdark closeup.jpg isn’t included on the PDF. Please pick up Richard Korbyl’s mug shot. Thanks, Steve)

Here we ran the laser out of focus and performed two passes. This helped with darkening the laser burn.A&E

AEJan14.indd 69 12/2/13 9:50 AM


TOPPERFORMER

ABC SALES CO.

MARCH

March also offers promotional promise, including the welcome of spring and fresh colors, flowers, longer days, snow melting…a happy season! Do you have colorful products you can put on display this month?

Don’t overlook corporate sales this month either. March has a few lesser-known business-related holidays you can make into sales promotions.

March 1: National Salesperson Day.

There are millions of sales people…why not create something to honor and

celebrate them?

March 26: Legal Assistants Day.Nothing says “you are

appreciated” like a personalized gift!

First Friday of March: National Employee

Appreciation Day


APRIL

In March, we celebrated employees. April has another work celebration, this one with unlimited creative opportunity… ”Don’t go to work unless it’s fun day.”

No explanation needed, just imagine the fun you can have with this one!

MAY

The obvious answer for this month is Mother’s Day, although there’s also another day all your customers will surely appreciate and embrace “Lost Sock Memorial Day.”

Unleash the creative boundaries! And don’t forget to send local media details of your promotion and custom creations!

JUNE

Besides Father’s Day, June is an iconic month for weddings—two very ap-propriate opportunities for leveraging the emotional and lasting value of customized gifts! Let’s assume you’ve already tapped into the obvious on the consumer side and shift focus to business-to-business sales. An upcoming date this month has huge potential particularly with larger companies as your sales target: “Ride to Work Day.”

In many states, bike riding is huge. Some companies will provide a catered breakfast for participants; health organizations and local media often sponsor and heavily promote with television personalities covering major metropol-itan areas on the big day. Why not approach companies in your area to see if they might like to promote program engagement and team building via logoed apparel, logoed water bottles or company buttons? A little advance planning is required for this one, but could be a great boost to your bottom line, and, could position you nicely for repeat corporate business!

June 17: Ride to Work Day

May 9: Lost Sock

Memorial Day

April 3: Don’t go to

work unless it’s FUN day.


Summer

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AUGUST

Many families hold reunions in the summer and seek apparel and other mem-orabilia to remember their gatherings. Make sure your store displays provide suggestions and ideas for customers during these summer months.

Additionally for August, there are a number of whimsical food celebration days. All days combined—sounds like a perfect opportunity to declare your company as official sponsor of picnics this month, with products on sale to support!

JULY

Red, white, blue…Independence Day, picnics…let the fireworks begin! And break out the camera, custom picture frames, photo T-shirts and coffee mugs too, because this month also celebrates All American Pet Photo Day. In 2011, Americans spent an estimated $61.4 billion dollars on their pets—that’s HUGE potential for you! Why not create an event around Pet Photo Day? Consider partnering with a local pet store to publicize an in-store promotion, including free photos plus a good selection of custom gifts for purchase. Be sure to include your local animal shelter in your plans; donating a percentage of your sales to the shelter not only promotes good will, but it helps customers feel better about their purchases, and builds positive compa-ny recognition for you! It’s a win-win-win for all involved.

August 3: National Watermelon day

August 10: National S’mores Day

August 30: National

Marshmallow Toasting Day

July 11:All American

Pet Photo Day

A&E JAnuAry 2014 • a-e-mag.com 6968 a-e-mag.com • A&E JAnuAry 2014

Heat transfer Vinyl

TheMagicTouch USA says that you can become a one-stop-solution for team shirts and team trophies. Hidden assets could be an easy way to expand your business in

2014. If you are not currently decorating apparel yet own a laser engraver, you

have a huge opportunity at your fingertips. Better yet, do you own a plotter/cutter? Either method of cutting vinyl offers a path to additional business

with existing customers and a launching pad to new business. The company offers 20” heat transfer vinyl for numbers/letters

in a full array of standard colors, neon and glitter.

888-349-2378www.themagictouchusa.com

ThE ProblEmWhen we laser engrave, we are simply

removing or vaporizing the substrate and exposing what is underneath. This is extremely true with CO

2 lasers. For fiber-mark or YAG laser operators, you can tweak your laser settings from vaporizing the substrate to changing the composition of the substrate.

The common impression of engravers is that fibermark or YAG lasers can obtain a very decent contrast without any addi-tional applications such as Thermark or Cerdec. This theory is largely associated with laser-marking materials like stainless steel or other bare metals. But, when laser engraving an organic product such as solid wood plaques with a YAG or fibermark laser, success will not be found due to the wavelength of the laser beam.

So there have been some techniques to help with increasing the contrast of your laser-engraved graphics on wood products using a CO

2 laser. The typical solution involves applying some form of color fill or paint fill. While these methods provide some aid to the problem, they can lead to another challenging part of laser engraving wood products. Beneath the surface of solid wood products is an endless quantity of tiny veins and canals. Thus, by applying paint to the laser-en-graved area, the paint can migrate into these veins and give the appearance of blurred graphics. So, what is the solution to this problem?

ThE SoluTionIf you are laser engraving a dark wood

like walnut, the solution is rather simple. If you require a higher contrast, you can use liquid shoe polish. We like to use the less-expensive liquid shoe polish, as it is a bit more watered down and is easier to clean up. Using the foam applicator of the liquid shoe polish, apply the liquid shoe polish to the surface of the wood. Because

Dog Days For The Laser Engraver

Believe it or not, laser engraving wood products does come with some real challenges. These challenges are typically due to the organic and natural composition of the wood. It goes without say-

ing that not every piece of wood is identical, and thus slight differences can be expected. Often the complaint with laser-engraved solid wood products is the lack of contrast. Recently, we had a job to laser engrave some solid maple plaques. And to overcome this potential problem of visible graphics, we chose to use some tricks.

Laser engraving by Richard Korbyl

(Kim, I put the PDF in the pic file that shows how Richard placed the pix; laserdark closeup.jpg isn’t included on the PDF. Please pick up Richard Korbyl’s mug shot. Thanks, Steve)

Here we ran the laser out of focus and performed two passes. This helped with darkening the laser burn.A&E

AEJan14.indd 69 12/2/13 9:50 AM

NATIONAL

W TERMELON

DAY!

WATERMELON EATING CONTEST

BENNETT’S BAR • 1234 1ST AVE WEST, BROOMFIELD, CO303.555.1234 • BENNETSBAR.COM

$5 WATERMELON COCKTAILS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3RD • 4PM-8PM


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SEPTEMBER

Fantasy football is anything but fantasy when you consider the numbers:

· 33 million players*· Average spend per person: $467 or roughly $15 billion total* *Forbes, August 2013

That’s BIG business! Most importantly, players will need team shirts, trophies, banners…make sure your shop is their go-to custom sports outlet!

September can also be a key month to touch base with your corporate busi-ness contacts and inquire about:

• Upcomingproductlaunches(hint:softwarecompaniesinparticular,willorderteamshirtsandmugsforbigteamprojects)

• 4thquarterrecognitionprogramsand/oremployeeretirements• Year-endplanningandemployeegiftneeds

Be proactive in your approach: hold an afternoon open house hors d’ouevres reception for human resource managers to peruse your inventory of apparel, trophies, awards, and plaques. Corporate accounts can be steady (and profit-able) business!

IT’S FALLand time for

Fantasy Football!


THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Wrapping up the year are the obvious choices. Since most people are so en-grossed with traditional holidays, it’s probably best to stick with mainstream options.

In conclusion, with a little creativity and advance planning, you can make each and every month a special selling time. Traditional and whimsical holidays provide opportunity and an occasion to showcase your products, promote limited time specials, and create customer need. Seasonality sells. Just ask major retailers. Happy selling!

OCTOBER: Halloween NOVEMBER: Thanksgiving

and family gatherings DECEMBER: Christmas and

Hanukah

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

FOR YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS

Printwear magazine

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A&E Magazine

Creating Memorable Moments Requires Monumental Skills…Make sure yours are sharp!

Published monthly, A&E magazine is written specifically for recognition professionals specializing in the personal-ization of various substrates, including:

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Each issue highlights the newest products available to the in-dustry, as well as a variety of techniques involved in product embellishment, from laser engraving and rotary engraving, to sublimation, to sand carving, to heat-applied graphics and transfers, as well as important information regarding graphic design, sales and marketing, and more!

With your FREE limited subscription, you’ll receive random issues through-out the year as selected by the publisher. Startalimitedissuesubscriptiononlineata-e-mag.com/SUBSCRIBE.

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selling based on seasonality: creative ways to drive holiday purchases year-round

Marketing

new business

new sales

new years

fun new hat

new signs

new ambitions

new goals

valentines day