Five Tips to Plan Your Retail Year

Keeping your seasonal and promotional campaigns organized and on budget is crucial for the success of your business. Regarding the print products needed for these marketing campaigns; here are five tips to help plan ahead and keep your retail calendar under control:

1. Look at the entire year

As a retailer, you must understand that to be successful in this industry you have to plan ahead. You might consider using a 12-month calendar that will help you look at the entire year and plan accordingly. Set aside time to sit down and plan. Be sure to include promotions you will be running, sales events, holidays and needed signage for each holiday and promotion. Come up with your rollout plan and get organized at the end of the year before your next fiscal year starts. Check on your calendar frequently and make any needed updates, like double checking things are good for the spring during the winter, summer signage plans in the spring, etc. In retail, it’s never too early to start planning for that seasonal or promotional sales push.

2. Find out about local and community holidays or celebrations

Besides the usual holidays, have you checked to see if there are celebrations you could take advantage of such as a local event or smaller, not as popular holiday? If your community is celebrating its 100 year anniversary, has a city or a fun summer festival; create a promotional event that piggybacks off it. If you own a flower shop, run a sales promotion for Plant a Flower Day in March, or if you’re an outdoor retailer, promote your hiking gear for National Mountain Climbing Day in August. There are many other lesser-known holidays like these you could use for a seasonal or promotional marketing campaign and create fun graphics for.

3. Work with a theme

Along the same lines of using special events, holidays and seasons; you can run a sale around a particular theme. A theme doesn’t just mean “St. Patrick’s Day” or “Summer Fun,” be more specific. Consider what new or popular seasonal products you want to promote for that event and use ideas based around those products, i.e., for St. Patrick’s Day host a luck of the Irish contest where the winner wins the product you’re promoting. You could focus on St. Patty’s Day recipes, or show how your product will make others “green” with envy.

4. Try multi-purpose signs

If you can somehow use a double-sided sign, do it- especially for two holidays or promotions that are close together. Ordering a double-sided sign is going to save you money on printing and shipping costs as well as save some room in your storage. You could get a double-sided sign for the same holiday sale if it’s a long one, giving you an easy and affordable way to give your store a fresh look during a long promotion.

5. Prepare

The best way to stay on top of your business goals and impending events is to prepare well in advance. Have your printed products planned ahead and get your orders sent off to your printer early. When you know what banners or window-signs you need, don’t wait until the last minute to send in your printing requests. Save yourself time and stress by getting ahead of your printing, and you’ll avoid paying rush fees or overnight delivery fees. You’ll be ahead of the game and waiting with your signage up and ready for customers.