When it comes to choosing promotions, furniture retailers are often bound to the time of year and holidays that fall in a specific month. The holidays give us a built-in schedule to work off of and a good rhythm to follow. But retailers can get stuck recycling the same promotions during the periods when there aren’t national holidays or manufacturer promotions going on.
We’ve combed through our archives and are bringing you the best five tactics we’ve employed to create successful and memorable promotions.
1. Think outside of the box
Many of us are guilty of relying on the bigger holidays and neglecting the in-between periods or just reusing the same promotional themes over and over again. Promotional themes can be pulled from any current event or even holidays that seem insignificant.
Leap Year is a great example of an overlooked holiday. Leap Year happens to fall on a Saturday in 2020 and it’s a perfect excuse for a sale. We’ve decided to play it up with a week-long promotion, creating buzz with tag lines such as “Only happens once every 4 Years!”
It’s important to be creative and think outside of the box instead of merely relying on the status quo. While repeating past winning ideas is great, don’t let past success make you too comfortable.
2. Plan around manufacturer promotions
Manufacturer promotions are important to take advantage of. The rebates offered are a great deal for retailers and they also allow customers to learn more about a particular brand.
To fully utilize the promotions, we often enhance the event with a special VIP day or event that has a special bonus offer. During the Bassett Custom Sale in March, one of our retailers is hosting a Meet the Maker event. There will be craftsmen at the event to demonstrate their craft and answer any questions customers have.
To take it a step further, the retailer is hosting a giveaway for a handcrafted bench. This helps drive traffic to the Meet the Maker event and create buzz. The key idea is to take the manufacturer’s promotion and then add your own spin to it.
3. Ugly Sofa Facebook Giveaway
We have talked before about how beneficial giveaways can be to engage customers and boost brand exposure. Our retailers are able to add a fun spin to it by connecting it with a holiday.
One example is an ugly sofa giveaway around Mother’s Day. Customers submit a picture of their ugly sofa and people “like” the photo in order to vote for the winner. This increases engagement on the page and it’s just plain fun.
4. VIP and Wine & Design Events
Many of our custom-furniture focused clients have great success with the concept of a VIP event or a Wine & Design Night. These evenings usually feature drinks, appetizers, and a special offer just for that night.
These events can be part of a customer appreciation weekend or even as a way to introduce a new furniture line to their store. Hampton recently hosted a very successful Wine & Design Event to reveal its new La-Z-Boy store expansion. They brought in designers for the event as well, so customers could ask questions and start planning their rooms.
5. Anniversary Sales
Many of our clients host an annual family day to end out their Anniversary Sale. They invite locals for refreshments and entertainment. It’s a great way to build community and engage customers.
One of our clients does extremely well with this promotion each year. They offer raffle prizes, food, face painting, and fun activities for the whole family to enjoy.
When it comes to choosing and creating promotions, don’t be afraid to take something you’ve done in the past and update it with a new twist. Whether it’s adding a fun giveaway or hosting a special event, the small things can really add up to create a winning promotion.
To learn more about Facebook giveaways, read this article.
