Deck the halls! For retailers everywhere, the holiday season is holly, jolly, and busy. To make the most of the most wonderful time of the year, go beyond garland. Engage your customers with multi-sensory shopping experiences, in-store events, and seasonal specials to help them shop for everyone on their list. From easy-to-rotate displays to creative ways to engage all five senses, here are some elements to keep in mind to set the ambiance for a festive and successful holiday season.
A simple, reliable way to set the vibe is with music, but you don’t have to go with the same four songs playing in every department store. Instead, play songs from artists or playlists that align with your brand and your customer base. If you want a chill auditory experience than the typical Christmas pop, consider some acoustic covers of holiday songs. Singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt even wrote a song called Merry Christmas Mary Jane and created a playlist with the same name if you need a place to start.
Speaking of places to start, make sure your entryway is warm and inviting. We all know the importance of first impressions, and the appearance of your entrance area is a critical first step to attracting customers and drawing them in. Make sure the entrance to your space is clean, uncluttered, visually appealing, and welcoming. If it makes sense in your location, retail experts recommend encouraging people to move counterclockwise around the store. Regardless of direction, be sure to place bestsellers, high-value items, and special seasonal bundles at the front of the store, early in the customer flow.
Lighting is also important to set the mood, and it’s especially important in windowless dispensaries. Capitalize on the absence of natural light with accessories like white or multi-colored twinkle lights on your seasonal displays to draw the eye in. Lots of LED and battery-powered options are available, too, for the eco-conscious business owners.
A well-decorated, festive dispensary will help customers get in the holiday shopping spirit. Pair warm-toned and festive lighting with tactile elements for a more complete sensory experience. By combining clear, informative signage on displays with decorative elements like fake snow, velvet ribbons, and twinkly lights, you can create an engaging and memorable store environment. While many of us love the natural smell of a dispensary, you can infuse your space with subtle scents like cinnamon and pine to set an extra festive mood. As a bonus, inventive displays make for great marketing photos for your website and social media, too. To promote especially cute and festive displays, you can have different photo ops and offer a small discount when a customer tags you on social media.
Eye-catching displays are crucial for engaging your customers, but you don’t need to rearrange your whole store to make compelling seasonal displays. Use what you already have, and flexible features like movable shelves and display racks can be updated easily as product moves and inventory changes. These versatile features allow you to quickly refresh your displays and switch them out as needed to highlight special discounts or promotions.
Looking for ideas for holiday specials? Stocking stuffer bundles are a great grab by the register and can sell well as point-of-purchase (POP) displays. If you have holiday-inspired strains, you could bundle some flower or pre-rolls with a THC chocolate bar for an awesome, easy stocking stuffer.
Gift bundles are also a great way to get creative with your holiday marketing and target more specific demographics. You can play off different themes to make curated displays or bundle items for a discount. For example, you could put some CBD products, lotions, and topicals together for an at-home spa day and relaxation kit. For the person who’s always on the go, consider bundling portable and pocket-sized products and accessories. A bundled “Holiday Survival Kit” can be a fun way to sell different products together, and even if it’s a little kitschy, they make a great gift, either for someone on your list or for yourself. Encourage your customers to treat themselves too!
To make holiday shopping even easier, you can also make a simple holiday catalogue or gift-buying guide to highlight special promotions and simplify the shopping experience. These can be physical guides or online, prompting customers to scan QR codes throughout the store. Advertise these gift guides and bundles on your website and social media to encourage people to stop by and let them know if they’re feeling overwhelmed, you’ve got them covered. You can also highlight staff favorites to showcase the expertise of your employees and encourage customers to ask them for personalized recommendations.
Another great way to drive foot traffic is to host special pop-ups and events in your store. At these events, you can run giveaways, raffles, and contests to drum up excitement and incentivize purchases, especially high-spend purchases or repeat purchases. Your most frequent customers throughout the year are often your biggest spenders at the holidays too, so don’t forget to reward customer loyalty with discounts, freebies, and incentives to keep coming back.
To provide additional help and value to your customers, offer gift wrapping services (you can charge a bit extra for it, too). Gift-wrapping is always popular, and in the cannabis space, it’s especially helpful to offer discreet and convenient packaging options. Bonus points if it’s festive and pretty too!
