Cashing In on Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers

Last-minute shoppers are a boon for small businesses during the holiday season. These customers are getting antsy and will often click on a website to look up and purchase one of the first things they see. 

Others may have a few items on their wish list that they want to buy but will not necessarily be able to afford. Many small businesses start promoting for the holiday season early, especially in the fall months, so they can take advantage of the rush of last-minute shoppers, but the following will help you attract customers even if you’re starting a little late. Here are some tips to attract those last-minute holiday shoppers and keep them coming back all year round. 

Hire Some Help

'Tis the season for small business owners to shine in the holiday marketing game! Consider enlisting the help of professionals like social media managers, content creators, and digital marketers to give your business a festive edge. When collaborating with graphic or web designers for holiday-themed visuals, converting PDFs to JPGs becomes handy for the seamless sharing of vibrant web images. A reliable PDF-to-JPG converter ensures that your designs maintain their crisp quality, making your holiday marketing visually appealing and effortlessly shareable across various platforms. Here’s a tool from Adobe Acrobat for you to switch from PDF to JPG quickly and easily. This approach is the perfect recipe for a holly, jolly business boost!

Attract Shoppers with Your Logo 

Start strong with a memorable logo. Your logo should grab attention and stick in the minds of customers so they remember to come shop at your store or even recommend it to friends. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on your logo. In fact, you can make it yourself quickly and easily! Check out an online logo maker and create a fully-unique design for your business. 

Text Your Customers

Consider sending last-minute shoppers text messages to remind them of your sales or discounts, which will entice them to buy what they want. If you send personalized texts, these messages will excite them even more. Get their phone numbers by offering in-store deals (like 10% off their purchase if they text a certain number). This is one of the best ways to capture the attention of last-minute shoppers and make them come back again and again.

A word to the wise: don’t assume that all your former customers remember the business and all of its products and services.  State these things clearly and concisely in your messages.

Last-minute shoppers are not just looking for great gifts, but many are also on tight budgets. Despite the pressure, many small businesses are able to cater to these last-minute shoppers’ need to get quality products quickly without spending a lot. Look to place coupon codes on sites like RetailMeNot to get both new and existing customers with a limited budget a great deal on that special gift this season. With 92% of consumers in the United States using coupons each year, you’re sure to see an uptick in customers with this method.

Send out physical coupons as well.  Lots of mailbox fillers are available for those on a budget, and they are remarkably affordable for many small businesses. For example, for a company to purchase a name list and print and mail 1,000 flyers, USPS estimates a cost of about $1,040 dollars. If even 10 percent of people come into your store or make a purchase through your digital storefront, you’ve gained roughly 70 new customers. You can save even more time and money by sending these flyers only to existing customers and designing them yourself.

Post on Social Media

Small businesses should also advertise on social media. By advertising on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, you can attract last-minute shoppers and boost your sales. With this type of marketing, keep in mind that people love to see what can be accomplished with the product they’re considering purchasing as well as gift ideas and special offers rather than being bombarded with nonstop posts about what they should purchase. 

Takeaways

Attracting last-minute shoppers doesn’t need to be hard, but it can feel time consuming if you don’t have a strategy in place.  By following the tips above, you’ll be able to create the ideal shopping environment for those in need of last-minute gifts this holiday season. Don’t be afraid to reach out and share your in-store specials in as many ways as you can!

Join the Hillsboro Area Chamber of Commerce to get the tips and tools you need to build a winning business in our community all year long!