Christmas is always a great opportunity for businesses and 2022 should be no different.
Businesses may be fearing a tough Christmas this year as record inflation hits consumers in their wallets, but there are signs for optimism.
According to respected market research firm Mintel, it’s all about those “moments that matter”. Consumers are expected to spend more in 2022 given the importance of Christmas as a special time of year, spent with family and friends, and they’re likely to prioritise their festive shopping over non-essential purchases.
There’s lots of opportunity too. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the festive shopping season are pivotal parts of the marketing year. The Retail Federation revealed that 179.8 million people made online and in-store purchases between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2021. This is slightly down on previous years but it’s expected to attract a similar number of people in 2022.
Early Christmas messaging is always recommended. If you’ve not yet kicked off your Christmas campaign then don’t worry as there’s still time – just! Some big brands start their preparations for Christmas in July! As a smaller business, this may seem unrealistic, but below we’ll discuss some tactics that you can prepare for Christmas this year.
Online shopping may have skyrocketed during the pandemic, but in-person retail experiences are still very important, especially during the festive season. Did you know that every month we reach 28.6 million people who buy Christmas presents every year, with 3.1 million who spend more than £800 on all of their presents? It is important to ensure that your Christmas marketing goes beyond product promotion. For example, some businesses could include hands-on experiences that consumers can participate in.
Furthermore, with a longer Christmas shopping window each year and accelerated online shopping adoption, businesses will need to find alternative ways to make themselves a part of the Christmas experience and change this each year, to adapt with the times. It is important to create content and products that support consumers throughout the entire Christmas season and subsequently, inject your brand into their holiday experience.
Overall, the festive season is a pivotal time to connect with current and prospective consumers in meaningful and lucrative ways – but what remains meaningful is always changing. In 2022 consumers expect flexibility, corporate social responsibility, and experiences from businesses as they continue to navigate more options than ever with a longer shopping window and more channels to choose from.
Key points to takeaway:
Start Christmas messaging early.
This ensures that your business has enough time to prepare for Christmas and that you capture as much of this segment of audience as possible when the time comes.
Plan your social media activity.
Having a strong social media presence at this time of year is important to capture your audience’s attention and to keep them engaged throughout the Christmas period.
Include hands-on experiences for customers.
If your business can afford to, having events that your customers can get involved in could be a great way to promote your end-of-year messaging.
Need a helping hand?
Click below to get in touch and talk to us about a bespoke marketing campaign. We have the audience, offers, solutions and in-house expertise to help you attract more customers this Christmas.
At Reach we’ve helped many thousands of businesses deliver successful end-of-year campaigns, so you can trust us to make this Christmas is one to remember.
