‘Tis the season where everyone’s feeling more generous. People are starting to slow down and reflect, and will be in the mood to give back and support a valuable cause. There’s nothing like a little festive cheer for boosting your shops’ donations and revenue.

It’s also a brilliant time of year for retail in general because more people are flocking to their local shops and high streets for Christmas shopping. Footfall in the UK increased by 4.1% in the week to November 20. And more footfall means more opportunities to make sales. So with only a few weeks left to go, how can you make the most of the holiday spirit to secure as much revenue as possible?

Remind your customers

Charity shops aren’t always the first place people think of for present buying. 

Yet the second-hand market is thriving. Barnardo’s and Atomik Research found that two-thirds of people would be open to buying their Christmas presents from charity shops this year.

All you need to do is entice them in. 

You might want to send messages to your mailing list to build brand awareness and tease your gift selection. Or you could create gift displays in your window and on shop floors to convert browsers into buyers. A designated kids’ display could be more than enough to encourage a customer to buy that extra sneaky present for their nephew, for example. Even a simple window sticker encouraging people to give back this Christmas could do the trick.

Make shopping easy

We all know the panic that comes with last-minute Christmas shopping. With this in mind, you want to be doing all you can to make the shopping experience more calm and streamlined for your customers.

Create smaller, more specific displays that make everything easier to find. For example, keep your books in one place, homeware in another. And break up gifting displays into ‘her’, ‘him’, and ‘kids’. Browsers will be much more likely to buy if the shopping experience is straightforward and efficient.

Providing a strong customer experience also means creating the optimum shopping environment. Aim for quality over quantity when it comes to organising the shop floor. No one wants to have to rifle through piles of items to find something they need. And also try not to have the Christmas songs blaring too loud!

Move online

In-person shopping, even over Christmas, isn’t what it used to be. Online shopping is still the top choice for many. However, if you can’t beat them, join them. During the pandemic, plenty of charities embraced online sales to supplement their revenue. And why should Christmas be any different?

If you don’t have a digital storefront, now is the time to set one up. It can easily be integrated with your current operation. If you do have one, then it’s time to get festive. And plastering this all over your social media and marketing channels will be valuable at converting sales. Also, reminding customers in-store that you’re also online could help squeeze a few extra sales out of each day.

Over Christmas, all the ingredients are there to end the year on a high, with people in the mood to help you and your cause. But, it’s up to you to maximise footfall and give your customers the competitive shopping experience they crave.

CHARiotWeb helps your charity make the most out of each and every day, throughout Christmas and beyond. With a streamlined online sales function, simple cash round-ups, and quick visualisation of stock, we help you go even further for your cause. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch today on 01204 706 000.