It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like … Christmas?

Yes, it’s true. It’s only September and it’s time to think about the holidays. Today, nearly 40% of holiday shoppers start their gift buying before Halloween. Whether you or your customers celebrate traditional holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, or you’re more into unique celebrations like “Festivus,” you, like every other business, need to have your holiday ducks in a row in September!

If you don’t already have your holiday promotions on the marketing schedule, then ‘tis time to do so. Newspaper ads need to be purchased, direct mail pieces printed and fresh loyalty cards should be at the ready. Customers are trying to save money and avoid the headaches that come with last-minute shopping by responding to early shopping offers. Not only are they buying electronics and other popular gift items, but they’re also buying seasonal products like holiday decorations. Click on the Business Holiday Infographic to learn more.

Perhaps your business doesn’t sell to or service consumers. That’s fine. Even business-to-business companies can profit from paying attention to the upcoming holidays! Holiday greeting cards are a great way to get in front of business customers you haven’t talked to in a while; it helps them remember you and think about the great experience they’ve had with you and your products and services. Business greeting card statistics suggest that humorous, cause-related and eco-friendly business greeting cards lead to a more positive perception for your company. But be mindful of your brand. While you may be tempted to send a humorous card, consider whether or not that’s a good fit with how your company represents itself the rest of the year. If you provide custom mini golf hole designs to the miniature golf industry, maybe a humorous card makes sense. On the other hand, if you provide legal documents to other businesses, they probably don’t expect to have a laugh when they open your card.

How you celebrate the season is totally up to you. At 123Print, we recommend that you plan ahead and take full advantage of the business holiday marketing opportunities as we head toward the New Year. Here’s to a very merry September, a profitable holiday season and an even better 2013.

UPDATE: A recent eTail blog post shares findings from a RetailMeNot.com research report that confirms what we’re saying: retailers have an opportunity to capture the attention and business of deal-seeking shoppers as early as October via online, in-store and mobile offers. Plus, they’ve coined a new term: “OctoNovemCember™”. Love it!