Cross-Channel Holiday Promotions
It's that time of year again. Mailboxes are stuffed full of holiday catalogs and direct mail pieces. When I was a kid, I loved looking through the Christmas catalogs, circling all of the toys I wanted Santa to bring me. But now I rarely even open them before putting them in the trash. The good news is, I don't have to open them. Many retailers are offering customers additional opportunities to engage and shop right from the back of the catalogs.
Toms offers both a QR code and an incentive to shop online:
Bath and Body Works offers both online and in-store discount codes:
Athleta invites customers into their stores by offering fitness classes, free hemming and styling and BOPIS:
Cremieux invited customers in-store for a happy hour:
giggle advertised their website, stores and shopping apps:
And Chukar Cherries sent me an order form that included the names and addresses of the people I shipped gift baskets to last holiday season. Talk about convenient!
Customers don't shop in a single channel and it's up to the retailers to provide different shopping options and to make the transition seamless.
Speaking of options, I received these two emails recently and they really caught my attention.
Philosophy encourages customers to shop on TV during its QVC broadcast:
And giggle sent a Mobile Monday email offering a discount for customers shopping in its app:
As you can see, there isn't one right way to encourage customers to shop. All you have to do is provide options and let your customers shop in the channel that is most convenient for them this holiday season.