Cut Out Your Niche This Holiday Season

It seems that the holiday decorations appear in big box stores earlier and earlier each year. As they say, the early bird gets the worm, but with customers seeing icicle lights since the Fourth of July, they get numb to anything to do with the holidays well before Halloween.

So how do you, as a small business owner, cut through a customer’s apathy, so they think of your store when they head out to do their holiday shopping? We at PayAnywhere have created a list to help you break through the white noise and have a profitable holiday season:

• Just a taste. Offer customers a special day where they can come sample your good or services for free. Be it a chocolate cookie, or dry-cleaning one shirt for free; use samples to get people in the door. If they like what they’ve received, they’re more likely to become loyal customers.
• Join the masses. Small Business Saturday® is the brainchild of American Express and is a nationwide push to encourage shoppers to support local businesses that are a part of their community. Eighty-eight million consumers took part in Small Business Saturday in 2014, so it must be working!
• Be seen. Getting involved in community events during the holiday season will help build goodwill for you and your business. It also keeps your place top of mind to both neighbors and city officials.
• Plant a seed. Be generous to vendors, loyal customers and other VIPs by giving them a gift of one of your products or services. Add a personal note, or special wrapping paper to show you care and create a bond they won’t soon forget.
• Be all-inclusive. Be sure to cast a wider net with your offerings. Don’t just focus on one group’s celebrations because there are a number of other groups who also celebrate this time of year. You might want to think about advertising in group-specific publications to get the word out that you welcome all customers.
• Two touches. One of the quickest and most affordable ways to let your customers know about a holiday promotion is to run an email campaign. It doesn’t have to be long and drawn out; it can be as simple as an announcement email and another to enforce the deadline.

PayAnywhere is here to help you have a great holiday season, so please contact us if you have any questions. You can email us at custservice@payanywhere.com, or call 877-387-5640.