Management tips Sales and marketing

4 tips to
prepare your
business for the
Holidays in 2020
– Interview with the CQCD

The General Manager of the CQCD shares solid tips with us in order to help Quebec merchants to successfully face the Holiday shopping period in this unusual year.

The year 2020 has been... different! As a merchant, navigating through the upheavals and changes of the last few months may be a colossal challenge.

It's an even greater challenge right now: The reintroduction of strict sanitary measures in several regions of Quebec, right at the beginning of the busy Holiday shopping period turns an already complicated situation into a million-piece puzzle.

Fortunately, merchants tend to be inventive and creative people! There's a solution to every problem. To better understand what merchants can do to face this delicate period, we spoke with Stéphane Drouin, General Manager of the Conseil québécois du commerce de détail (CQCD), who graciously offered us his time in order to share his expertise.

01 Optimize each cart

It's almost inevitable: The number of stores that people will shop at this year for the Holidays will decrease compared to a normal year. According to CQCD projections, whereas consumers generally shop in an average of 7 to 8 stores, this year they will only visit 4 to 5. The amount spent on gifts is also expected to decrease by about 10%.

In this context, each cart that goes through your cash registers counts! How do you reduce the number of lost opportunities?

First, setting up and managing waiting lines will be important. With increased traffic, there will be lines. The fall weather will also try people's patience. “If someone decides to shop in your store, the last thing you want is for them to see a line and turn around and leave!”, states Mr. Drouin. According to him, it would be a good idea to set up outdoor shelters for rainy and snowy days, make sure you let the appropriate number of customers in at once and make sure that the bottleneck that customers often encounter at cash registers runs more smoothly.

Speaking of cash registers, merchandising will be particularly crucial. In fact, any measures that encourage impulse buying will be particularly significant. Offering the right items at the cash will be essential to maximizing each cart. It would also be useful to inform your employees on the floor to be proactive in order to offer customers more items. Remember: People are already expecting to do less shopping this year. If they can find an extra gift in your store, they will be reassured of not having to go to another store. It’s win-win!

Next, if you offer online or catalogue sales, Mr. Drouin suggests favouring in-store pickup or even offering a discount for in-store pickup. Why? According to him, in-store pickup allows customers to benefit from the “since I'm already here” effect. Once the customer is in your store, he or she may want to buy a few extra items, “since I'm already here”. He also recommends providing for a separate line for customers who come for in-store pickup. The goal is to create a rapid and efficient experience which doesn't make customers feel the need to leave as quickly as possible once they have picked up their items.

or even offering a discount for in-store pickup. Why? According to him, in-store pickup allows customers to benefit from the “since I'm already here” effect. Once the customer is in your store, he or she may want to buy a few extra items, “since I'm already here”. He also recommends providing for a separate line for customers who come for in-store pickup. The goal is to create a rapid and efficient experience which doesn't make customers feel the need to leave as quickly as possible once they have picked up their items.

Finally, it will be of the utmost importance to reassure customers and make them feel safe. According to a survey by the CQCD, consumers say that they feel relatively safe about in-store shopping despite the circumstances. However, there are high expectations in terms of respecting sanitary rules. People expect to be greeted, to see a strict control over mask-wearing rules and areas where they can wash their hands.

02 Sell online

The 2020 sanitary crisis has accelerated the transition to online purchases. People want to avoid crowds and chaos. This year, online sales are expected to reach a level that we weren't expecting to reach for 3 to 5 years. According to Mr. Drouin, “a store that doesn't sell online will definitely be at a disadvantage compared to its competitor.”

Is it too late to start selling online? It depends on your definition of “too late”. Holiday shopping has already started, so it's up to you to decide. That said, the new online purchase habits will not disappear in December. If you're not selling online already, you are depriving yourself of a constantly growing sales channel.

In order to begin discussing your online sales project, do not hesitate to contact our e-commerce experts. We have already helped hundreds of merchants and distributors to launch their project and we are available to help you discuss yours!

03 Promote yourself as a local merchant

For many people, 2020 has raised awareness on the importance of supporting local producers and encouraging local businesses. According to Mr. Drouin, 65% of people plan to purchase local products for this year’s Holidays.

Do your potential customers know that you are a local business?

Identify yourself clearly as a Quebec business. Do not hesitate to take initiatives that aim to highlight the fact that you are a local business, by adopting a message to this effect in your advertising or by getting involved locally.

Think about how your business can contribute positively to your community. Food banks? Organizations that help people in need? Contributing to a cause can be an excellent way to get people to talk about you on social media and in local papers, in addition to allowing you to make a very real and very concrete contribution in your community. Like Mr. Drouin says: “I have never seen Amazon sponsor my children’s soccer team!”

Also, don’t hesitate to register for online platforms aimed specifically at promoting local businesses. It’s far from being a waste of time: Mr. Drouin confirms that 40% of people consider referring to the Panier Bleu to identify local merchants. In fact, if you haven’t visited the Panier Bleu recently, you should check it out; they recently released a new functionality that allows you to shop by product rather than by just by business. It’s could be an excellent way to promote your products!

04 Offer a positive experience

The general manager of the CQCD invites merchants to question themselves: “How can we contribute positively to people’s psychological health? To create the magic of Christmas? It will be doubly important this year.”

The human element will be essential this year, even more than in past years: The relationship with people, the owner’s presence on the floor, the sincerity of the desire to help, etc. Make sure that your employees smile under their masks. Even more important: Make sure that your employees sincerely feel like smiling under their masks! :)

What’s good 2020, is good for 2021…

On several levels, 2020 has led to changes that are here to last. Some things will last in the medium term, such as sanitary measures and lines. Other things will be with us much longer: People who have developed a taste for online sales risk making it a long-term habit.

In any case, we know that local entrepreneurs are highly creative and have the energy they need to adapt to our era. What is an entrepreneur if not someone who is fiercely determined to make it through any challenge?

If it hadn’t become cliché to do so, we would tell you “It’s going to be okay”, but let’s be frank: You had the guts to start your own business, you have everything you need to get through this, you don’t need anyone to tell you! Know that the entire Acomba team is behind you and sincerely encourages you. It’s not always easy, but we will make it!