Promotion planning: Five 2016 events and holidays for marketing inspiration

If you’ve read our marketing guide for small merchants, you’ll know that a marketing campaign’s success rate is at least partly determined by the amount of planning that went into it.

It may seem a little early to start drafting your marketing strategy for the summer and even for the Christmas period, but creating a plan of action now will ensure you’re more than prepared when key dates roll around. We’ve created a short list of events and holidays that builders’ merchants and other retailers may wish to target over the coming year, whether through ambitious, integrated marketing campaigns or merely a set of themed discounts.

2nd May, 30th May, 29th August: England and Wales bank holidays

Boost your DIY promotions in the build-up to the three spring and summer bank holidays – they provide a reliable spike in sales for merchants each year. In-store, give products aimed at DIY hopefuls pride of place in the hope of securing extra passing trade. Use window displays to prompt customers to consider which DIY projects they’ll be undertaking during the upcoming bank holiday weekend.

10th June – 10th July: UEFA Euro 2016

This year’s biggest international football event is unarguably Euro 2016. This year’s tournament is held in France, with England qualifying comfortably and sharing a group with Russia, Slovakia, and Wales. England’s game against Wales on June 16th will undoubtedly be one of the biggest matches of the group stage – will the debutants manage to cause an almighty upset or will Roy Hodgson’s team pull through? There are plenty of opportunities to create some themed discounts or marketing campaigns around the tournament (or just the England vs. Wales match!) – perhaps you could profile brands based in the finalists’ countries or offer discounts when (or if) England win a game.

30th July: 50th Anniversary of 1966 FIFA World Cup final

The penultimate day of July will mark 50 years of hurt for England’s football fans. The 1966 final is an endless source of inspiration for football fans, regardless of whether they are old enough to have watched the game at the time. Such a legendary and cherished event may be marked by a set of themed promotions at your store, but in this case, keep it low key – any brash marketing campaign around this date might not be well-received by football fans.

5th – 21st August: Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Yes, it really has been nearly four years since London 2012. While there will undoubtedly be less excitement in the UK around this year’s Olympics than the previous event, it’s still the biggest sporting event on earth – and plenty of brands will be trying to take advantage of the hype around it. Again, you’ll have to use your imagination to create Olympic-themed marketing campaigns as a builders’ merchant – just be sure not go down the route of the disastrous Olympic-themed marketing stunt that McDonalds attempted in 1984…

Christmas

Only a few months ago we discussed the art of Christmas promotions in an article here on the Trader blog, so we won’t repeat ourselves here. Now’s the time to evaluate your Christmas sales and start considering how to improve on them in 2016.

Setting promotions can seem like a hassle, but with the help of point of sale software and barcode modules it’s a breeze. If yourpoint of sale software needs an upgrade, see what Trader has to offer.