‘Tis the Season to Make Money - Holiday Marketing Tips

Ok, so you’re not Wal-Mart or Target - but you are a retailer, and it’s time to start thinking like one. Holiday time is typically when retailers earn the lion’s share of their profits. The National Retail Federation is estimating a 5 percent increase in Holiday sales this year, somewhat above the average 4.6 percent annual gains in recent years. Quoted in USA Today, Madison Riley, a retail strategist at Kurt Salmon Associates, said he expects lower gas prices and a buoyed stock market may "lead to a sense of financial freedom, and people may open up the pocketbooks a bit this holiday."

Why not take advantage of all this expected holiday cheer and good will? After all, the holiday season is a great time to get your products in front of your customers again, no matter what you‘re selling.

In-Store Tips

While some holiday marketing tactics are more involved than others, it’s still not too late to do something for this season. Illinois’s Star Uniforms has run a successful holiday marketing campaign for years, and offers the following in-store advice to other uniform retailers:

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From Suspects to Cheerleaders

By Joseph Greco, M.S.O.D.

No, this is not an article about an upcoming episode of CSI, despite the headline. This is about how to recognize and sustain customer satisfaction which is the lifeblood to the growth and success of any business. Without customers a business does not exist. How can you identify and define what you may have?

One format to conceptualize the targets of your marketing strategy can be to view the following categories. The challenge is to move along from suspect to cheerleader and here’s why:

Suspect - someone whom you may know but who does not know about your company’s product or service. Research the potential candidates in the marketplace who need what you have to offer. Determine your marketing strategy to make these suspects aware of your existence.

Prospect - someone who knows about you or you may have contacted but has not made a purchase yet.

Purchaser - Now, these folks have made an initial purchase. Yippee! But it’s just the start and a critical point in the potentially profitable future relationship. Maybe your advertising was effective or your sales team was persuasive and you have a first time buyer. This is a significant milestone. You have successfully induced them to try your product or service and the relationship can begin in earnest.

Customer - This is obviously a wonderful level because this is a purchaser who continues to purchase from your company on a regular basis. We all want these.

Cheerleader - But here is the best level because this is a customer who is so satisfied with your product that he or she tells others about your company. Here’s where you get to ask the most important marketing question,” Would you recommend us to someone you know?” That question about sums up the entire positive attitude you could create in a customer. A Very Happy Customer!

How do you move along this continuum? Here are some suggestions to consider and questions to answer:

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Product News:

Manufacturers Roll Out New Products at IACP, Something New From Safety Flag & Hot Products: What Dealers are Saying.

There were a bevy of new products and enhanced features introduced by manufacturers at last month’s IACP conference in Boston. Here’s what dealers can expect to see, if they haven’t already, in the coming months:

Perfection Uniforms

Perfection previewed further line extensions as well as a new fabric/product series at the IACP. The new EGC (Ergonomic Garment Construction) System that enhances the comfort, mobility, and wear life of uniform shirts and trousers will be extended into a new polyester (EclipseSeries ), and a new poly rayon (StratusSeries). The two new Series will also feature technologically advanced woven and knit fabrics, with performance advantages first introduced in the MatrixSeries .

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5.11 Tactical

Not to be outdone, 5.11 has introduced a line of new products for the Fall, 2006.

The first is a new cotton blend fabric that exceeds minimum standards of NFPA tests for afterflame and no drip (according to ASTM D6413.). This proprietary fabric, FR-x3™, retains cotton’s breathability and comfort. FR-x3™ is found on an updated version of 5.11’s #1 best seller, the authentic tactical pant as well as performance knits and a top-of-the-line jumpsuit.

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Danner

From Danner comes a new boot, the Striker Sergeant GTX, a slip-on version to its popular Striker line of uniform boots. In addition to being lightweight and agile, trademarks of the Striker boot line, the Sergeant is an easy slip on and comfortable station boot, making it well suited for detective and investigation field work.

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Safe Lites and Blauer

GlowSkin Active Illumination Technology manufacturer Safe Lites, LLC (Eden Prairie, MN), was also on hand at the IACP. Safe Lites was at the conference to support its customer, Blauer Manufacturing.

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Fechheimer & Milliken

Visitors to the Fechheimer Booth at the IACP were treated to a demo of the StainSmart 3 fabric technology used in a new line of performance public safety uniforms introduced by Milliken and Fechheimer. Designed with comfort in mind, the uniforms feature IntelliDry™, a line of natural stretch poly/cotton blends and StainSmart® 3, a new triple-action nano-technology that combines the benefits of stain repel, stain release and moisture wicking. The uniforms also feature Milliken’s ColorSmart™ deep dye process, which significantly extends the colorfastness and longevity of the uniform.

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Safety Flag Company of America

Not featured at the IACP but still of interest, the Safety Flag Company of America is currently offering highly visible fluorescent and reflective Surveyor’s Vests in five sizes.

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Hot Products! What Dealers are Saying:

Starting with this issue, UniformMarket will regularly carry a companion piece to its product stories with a decidedly dealer slant. Titled “Hot Products: What Dealers are Saying,” the piece will survey dealers across the country to determine what’s selling and why.

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Call for Entries: Third Annual UNIVATOR Awards Now Underway

 By Jackie Rosselli

It's been a good year. Your sales results exceeded expectations. That new product launch was the talk of the convention circuit. Your marketing department scored big, developing a program that garnered positive publicity while bolstering profits. You’ve clearly earned the right to brag.

So what are you waiting for? Why not end the year by telling the world about your accomplishments?

Entries are now being accepted for the third annual UNIVATOR Awards, a UniformMarket competition that showcases the best industry ideas and achievements of 2006. If you've launched a new and successful line, implemented marketing or sales strategies that have added to your company's bottom line, creatively used technology to enhance your business or produced a public relations campaign with positive results, we want to hear from you!

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ONLINE ENTRY FORM.... available here