We are officially in holiday mode and it's no time for your social media accounts to be willy-nilly. With gift guides galore, now is the time for retailers to tighten their game with a solid strategy. You definitely need the Corpsumers on board. Time spent on social media starts increasing in early October and reaches its peak around New Year’s Eve. Consumers look to their newsfeeds for gift ideas before and during the holidays so this is an opportunity for you to grow your business, drive product awareness and, above all, reach your audience.
Corpsumer by definition
Barney's for example, the retailer hosted a series of gift giveaways on its social media channels, with the hashtag “Barneys Unwrapped.” For 5 days, Barneys gave away items from its holiday gift collection from brands like Gucci and Sidney Garber. Each day during the giveaways, Barneys posted a video, created by the photographer to the stars, Mason Poole, to its Instagram account. Those who follow Barneys on Instagram and left comments for a chance to win. The randomly chosen winner was announced with a second post, as well as the gift unboxing, at the end of the day. The holidays are a critical period for department stores that are losing market share to luxury marketplaces like Net-a-Porter, specialty online stores and of course Amazon. Overall, Barneys’ holiday season strategy is based on creating a more direct relationship with customers — something that Corpsumers have been seeking — as well as offering exclusive items that can’t be found on every corner. Most of the gifts that were chosen for the giveaways are exclusive to Barneys.
The end of the year is also a great time to offer more than just discounts. Just as Bass Pro Shops does in conjunction with their Santas Wonderland campaign. Every year Santa’s Wonderland transforms Bass Pro Shops into a festive holiday experience with rustic Christmas cabins and live elves set amongst snowy hills and sparkly Christmas trees. Have your picture taken with the big guy himself (for free with the Bass Pass) and tag #SantasWonderland. Santa's arrival at the shop coincides with Veterans Day, the start of a holiday "round up" program where customers can help support service members, military families and veterans through a donation program benefitting the United Service Organizations (USO) and AMVETS. From November 11 through Christmas Eve, customers can round up their purchase and donate the balance. Bass Pro Shops will donate 100% of customer contributions in support of these organizations. The season of giving is a perfect time to for them to show their significant commitment to supporting active duty military, veterans and their families including employing thousands of veterans and offering a monthly military/veteran discount.
Whether your goal is to up your sales or tell your story, make sure it's on point. Tighten up your social game and cheers to the holidays!
