Key Winter Sales Dates
This winter be ready for those key sales dates.
Let’s start with some top tips
1. Download our ‘National Calendar’ from the admin centre under ‘helpful links’ and use this as an events planner, so that you’re always offering something special to your customers! This doesn’t have to be a sale.
2. The more ‘Instagramable’ the better. You want to create an event / offer / ‘product’ that will get people talking and sharing your venue. Bottomless Bruch always proves a favourite but what about Bottomless Cake to cater to the sweet tooth crowd? Get creative, who knows what you’ll come up with!
3. Rebrand the ‘discount code’ to a ‘Promotional code’ and create a VIP invite by only posting this code on your social media to offer an exclusive deal to yur online following.
The first key date is Black Friday, 25th November
There are unlimited options for what you can do to boost your gift voucher sales this November, but first you must decide what kind of campaign you want to run.
Will you run the classic tried and true sales? Or an Alternative Black Friday, focusing on ‘Green Friday’ and increasing awareness around consumerism and its environmental impact?
Will you choose to run a ‘Limited Edition’ sale, offering a selection of limited-edition gift vouchers, positioned as memory-making experiences, and priced at a premium. For example, a Gourmet Dinner with Champagne, a ‘G and Tea’ Afternoon Tea Experience, or a Luxury Overnight Stay.
How about an ‘Autumn Sale’ or campaign, this will have a much calmer feel than the traditional ‘Black Friday’ sale that thrives off the consumer panic buying.
Will you use a Promotional code? You can easily spread the word with the help of social media and email newsletters, remember you can create buzz with a ‘VIP invite’. Or will you create a specific category of discounted vouchers?
The beauty of ‘Black Friday’ is that it’s completely customizable to you and your business, there are no guidelines or expectations about what you should sell or offer in this period as every business does ‘Black Friday’ differently!
Christmas season
Christmas is of course the busiest time of year for buying gift vouchers, here are our top tips for boosting your voucher sales:
Create a dedicated Christmas gift voucher category, making it easier for your customers to find the perfect gifts all in one place. You could name the category something like ‘Christmas Gift Guide’ or ‘The Perfect Christmas List’ to really catch the attention of your customers.
Advertise your vouchers! Put the link on your social media, people cannot buy something that they do not know exists.
Appeal to late buyers, by using social media or email newsletters. There will always be late Christmas eve shoppers, this is perfect for email vouchers which can be delivered instantly or on a selected date.
Just for January, 1st - 31st January
Just for January is the initiative to boost sales and encourage bookings in the shoulder months with limited expiry gift vouchers.
This will typically include vouchers at a discounted rate for customers to buy, the voucher will have a shorter, say three rather than twelve-month, expiry date and this will drive those extra customers into your venue exactly when you want them!
A Just for January promotion is also a great way to offer your loyal customers the services they know and love for a lesser cost. We recommend setting this offer up with a dedicated category to draw attention to the discounted vouchers when customers are shopping with you online.
Valentine’s Day, 14th February
Whilst we all know February 14th is the International Day of Love, it happens to fall on a Tuesday in 2023. So, we’ve come up with some ideas on how to make this midweek day momentous for both your sales and customers!
If you’re a hotel or B&B, offer a special Valentines mid-week break, perhaps adding extras like flowers and chocolates in your rooms. Or maybe let your guests have a late checkout, or breakfast for no extra charge when they stay with you on the 14th.
Offer romantic packages, these can be sold in conjunction with stays, these packages could include bouquets, rose petals, champagne, chocolates etc to be laid out in the room ready for your guests’ arrival.
Dining experiences! Offer your customers dining experiences with a twist, maybe candle lit dinner with a guaranteed view or special ‘lovers’ themed dishes with the perfect wine pairings. Get creative, the world is your gift voucher themed oyster!
Remember to spread the love. Make sure you’re updating your gift voucher site with your Valentine’s Day offers well in advance to make the most out of this sales period – there are always early shoppers! Share these offers onto your social media pages to maximise your sales.
We hope this blog has offered some insightful inspiration for your hospitality business. At Gift Voucher Brilliance, we do all we can to help you drive extra revenue year-round.
Don’t have a voucher solution? We would love to tell you more about how we can help you increase your revenue. Get in touch and we’ll setup a time that’s suitable for you!