How to Prepare Your Store for Every Holiday Phase
In the retail world, holiday celebrations come in various phases while leaving no room for complacency.
In fact, missing out on these critical holiday dates can put you at a disadvantage in the competitive retail landscape. Some of the key dates to remember include:
Black Friday (Friday, November 24th)
Cyber Monday (Monday, November 27th)
Christmas (Monday, December 25th)
Boxing Day (Tuesday, December 26th)
New Years (Tuesday, December 31st)
January Refresh
With so many dates to keep track of, this period leaves little room for elaborate retail design and retail merchandising changes. This is why it is SO important for retailers to create a holiday plan that leaves room for the necessary edits to encompass every date.
Read below as we’ll walk you through our personal suggestions for getting your store ready for every holiday phase and beyond.
Use the Holidays as Your Canvas
Imagine the holiday season as a canvas for your retail design. Visualize holiday themes, such as colours, imagery, and sounds, and use these inspirations to set the stage for your store display and decor.
VM Tip: Prioritize full-priced items, new arrivals, and featured themes in highly visible sections, such as the front of your store and your "feature zone."
Strategic Placement for Sale Items
Typically, sale or clearance items find a home toward the back of the store. However, certain holidays like Black Friday and Boxing Day challenge this norm and focus on low prices and deals. Since you’ll be attracting a different clientele during this time, this means you should bring sale items to the forefront.
VM Tip: Make the most of the holiday season by strategically placing clearance and promoted sales items in priority sections, including feature zones and the front end. Your store needs to inspire and tempt customers with as much shopping as possible, so create blanket deals and add signage to communicate sales offers without disrupting inventory placement.
Communication is Key
To maximize your holiday sales, communicate your participation in Black Friday, Holiday sales, and Boxing Day in key areas of your store, including window displays, signs, and table setups.
Adapt for Celebration-Specific Holidays
If you are reflecting on particular celebration holiday set-ups such as Hanukkah and Christmas, your take-down of this set-up will be more time-sensitive.
VM Tip: Be sure to plan for efficient takedowns to transition seamlessly to the next phase.
Embrace January Freshness
After the chaos of the holiday season, retailers often look forward to a January refresh. This period involves new inventory, additional space, and a shift in customer needs.
VM Tip: Consider a seasonal makeover to rejuvenate each space with fresh offerings. Shift away from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and embrace a sense of spaciousness. It's less about gifting and more about mindfulness, calmness, self-care, and fresh starts. Most importantly, always tailor this to your unique client needs and preferences.
We get it. Planning for these holiday dates and refreshes can be overwhelming, but it’s essential to stay true to your general message and creative canvas. This is why it’s important to start with a well-structured space plan and consider tweaking it for various phases.
Turn your store into a holiday haven with the right retail design, retail merchandising, boutique design, shelf display, shop display, and visual merchandising displays! To get started on your space plan, you can begin utilizing our DIY VM Floorplan tool (relevant year-round) or get in touch to let us get it done for you!