The C Word. 5 things you should be doing now to prepare for the festive season Published June 23, 2021 4 mins read This time last year we talked about “Christmas Creep”. The concept where retailers are ‘sneaking’ Christmas onto their shelves and into their marketing campaigns earlier every year. This year, we predict that Christmas Creep will be well in force. Alongside a healthy dose of Christmas chaos. As consumers excitedly prepare themselves for celebrations with all the family, after Christmas was almost cancelled in 2020. Christmas is an important time for any business. But this year, businesses are so focused on building their brand and sales back up that it is essential they get the festive season right. We hate to break it to you. But if you haven’t started thinking about Christmas yet, there’s no time to waste. So get stuck into our list of 5 things you should be doing right now to prepare. Understand your data from 2020 Before you get carried away planning creative Christmas content or designing your festive email campaign, we need to talk about data. We would recommend always reviewing previous year’s data when it comes to planning a Christmas campaign. This is to help you understand what worked, what didn’t, and why. However, 2020 was an unusual year, to say the least. Which means reviewing data is more important than ever. Begin with your Christmas campaign analysis as soon as possible. But also expand your review to the entire year. Consumers’ shopping habits have changed, so it’s essential that you begin to identify trends to get your festive marketing spot on. Review your target audience Similarly, as consumer behaviour has changed so drastically over the past year, so have target audiences. eCommerce has soared over the past 18 months. With 17.2m Brits planning to switch to online shopping permanently, online-only brands are seeing a surge in new customers who may have been avid high street shoppers previously. Therefore, we recommend a thorough review of consumer demographic and behavioural data. Potentially with the goal of creating new personas to match your most recent consumer statistics. Pay special attention to any trends you see emerging, such as demographics, browsing behaviour, and products that are particularly popular. Implement technology With an increasingly competitive marketplace coupled with increasing consumer demands. Using time and resource wisely is essential for the modern marketer. Particularly when it comes to busy periods such as the festive season. Technology is what holds modern, competitive brands together. It ensures that their data is managed effectively, their emails are sent efficiently, their calls are logged properly, and their social media posts are scheduled ahead of time. Without the implementation of technology, businesses will quickly fall behind their competitors. Whilst also continuing to waste time on fiddly, manual jobs. Instead of focusing on strategy. Now is the best time to implement technology, before we are too close to the festive season. Whatever you are looking to implement, get started sooner rather than later to give you enough time to get up and running, ready for the festive season. Ensuring your campaigns can be better than ever. Set up automations One benefit of implementing technology is that it enables you to set up automations. Automations are the ultimate time-saver. Particularly when it comes to marketing. It enables brands to send the right message, at the right time, to the right person. And delivers an unrivalled personalised experience to recipients and consumers. Begin by reviewing your previous automations from the past year. In doing so, you may realise that it’s time to set up new automations, and refresh old ones. Around the festive period, there are a series of automations which will be particularly useful to marketers. Such as: Abandoned basket To remind consumers of any last-minute purchases they may not have finished making before the postage deadline. Recommended products In case they can’t find the right gift for their loved one, give them a little help by showcasing similar products. Back in stock emails Remind consumers that the special gift they’ve been waiting to buy is back in stock Purchase updates Reassure your consumers that their purchase has been successful and is on its way. Create a schedule Christmas may seem a while off, but it’s still important to get a schedule put in place asap. After all, it may surprise you how quickly Christmas preparations need to begin. Consider content creation, design, and campaign strategy. Of course, the festive season isn’t just about Christmas. So it’s important to include other relevant dates in your schedule. And to ensure all campaign activity fits along with regular activity. June and July are perfect months to get a schedule in place and begin building up a campaign, so that you have plenty of time to get everything ready. A schedule also presents a clear structure for when to plan in communications. Here are some examples for inspiration: Black Friday campaign Cyber Monday campaign Holiday gift guide Christmas countdown – advent calendar Christmas party campaign Last purchase date for Christmas delivery “Merry Christmas” communication on Christmas Day Boxing Day sale New Year’s party campaign “Happy New Year” communication just after midnight New Year’s sale Are you already experiencing festive-fatigue? At Pure360, we understand that this year Christmas and festive period are more important than ever. Get in touch with our friendly team of experts to get your festive planning underway. And ensure you’re prepared for December 2021. Meet the author Komal Helyer VP Marketing