Christmas Shopping, Heaven or Hell?
The Buyers most wished for gift - A Crystal Ball
How I love Branding and Marketing and the mechanics of moving people towards Christmas.
You may not have even noticed but there is a whole process that goes into the run-up to Christmas and yes, of course, we love it.
If the shops get it wrong whether its on or offline they are left with stock that may or may not sell in the sales.
Did you know that 80% of retail selling is from September to December, it really is, I lived it for, yes decades. It takes loads of planning and if you haven't ordered the Christmas 20 and 40ft containers by the previous June you are panicking, It should be already in the production plan set at the early part of the year.
"Did you know? 80% of retail selling is in the last quarter, September to December - for many retailers its a make or break time"
Yes as buyers, we would love to have crystal balls that would conjure up what will be THE favourite gift at Christmas. We have to know what the general public will buy way before summer is over. Then its the case of how much will sell, if the containers are late your chances are drastically reduced. The shops want the stock to be sat in your warehouse waiting for them to draw off. Get it wrong and both sides suffer. Create a demand that cannot be met and face the consequences.
Everyone does their bit to make Christmas as stress-free as possible but seriously the chances of talking to a buyer or shop owner for anything other than the day's problems on the run up to Christmas is nil. I used to sit all day every day, headphones on, 3 screens open, shifting stock, answering short, precise questions from a variety of 300 different types of retailers. It's an art, it's fun and you learn to work at speed.
Everyone plays their part from the decorations chosen to the type of music played on the radio - yes listen to it, it ramps up on the run up with upbeat, faster and fun music then they slowly bring it back down again after the holiday period has finished.
"Everyone plays their part from the decorations chosen to the type of music played on the radio"
Have fun and I wish you and your family, the buyers and shop assistants a very prosperous stress-free Quarter 4.
#christmasrunup #christmashopping #marketing #branding #christmas
Want to read more? Take a look https://www.38partnership.co.uk/ask-yourself-are-your-goals-unachievable-with-the-processes-you-have-in-place
