Sales Strategy
Show Your Retailers Support this Holiday Season – Part 1 | November 26, 2021 (0 comments)
Key Largo, FL--This year’s holiday shopping season is here and the stakes are as high as ever for most retailers.
Take it from someone who experienced the retail side of the holiday shopping season for over a decade. The outpouring of support we received from our manufacturing and brand partners was essential to the company’s survival. With the 2021 season looking to be as equally uncertain and extraordinary as the previous year’s, many retailers are going to require that same level of support from their partners once again as they continue to struggle with ongoing staffing shortages and global supply chain issues.
If you are considering showing your retail partners a little extra love and support this holiday season, and I highly suggest you do, here are a few ways that I always felt appreciated when I worked on the retail side.
Map out a Timeline
Providing your retail partners with clear holiday cutoff timelines is crucial. A buyer does not want to place an order expecting it to arrive by Christmas only to find out it won't arrive until after the New Year.
Be prepared to discuss the timelines internally and provide realistic order cut-off dates to your retailers. This ensures they are placing their orders on time and you are not getting bottlenecked with an influx of manufacturing right before the holidays.
Another way to improve communication is to provide retailers with your holiday closures especially if they extend further than traditional nationally recognized holidays. As a past buyer, I can’t tell you how frustrated I would get when finding out my order would be extended an additional two weeks because of a closure. Opening the lines of communication creates a strong partnership and supports the retailer during the holiday season.
Memo
This tried-and-true classic is always appreciated during the season, but don’t settle for sending just any pieces. What is even more valuable is when a manufacturer takes the time to curate the selection they are sending. Analyze their account to be able to send pieces that complement and complete what they already stock. For example, you can send them back stock and matching pieces of their top sellers to ensure they are offering an expansive selection and there is never a hole in the showcase.
Maybe you have a retailer who typically only sells smaller carat total weight pieces so they only invest in those sizes of a collection you offer. You could send them the larger carat total weight pieces to fill out the collection and target the not-so-typical buyer.
Preparing a solid time-line and creating memo packages based on the individual retailers’ specific needs are just 2 of the ways you can show your retail partners your support for this holiday season. Be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks for Part two of this article where I share more ways to support your partnership.
Jackie Johnson is the Vice President of Crabtree Consulting. Prior to joining Crabtree Consulting, Jackie had a successful career at one of the largest independent chains on the West Coast, where she was the Designer Bridal Buyer for over ten elite brands. Reach her at jackie@crabtreeadvisory.com or visit the www.crabtreeadvisory.com where you can set up a live chat or a 30-minute free consultation.