Get on Consumers’ Calendars

Is it January 23 already? You know what that means? Aura Cacia, purveyor of rose absolute oil and lavender spike, does: They’ve declared this National Day of Chill.
     Aura Cacia isn’t referring to the cold weather, at least not directly. Instead, the chill refers to counteracting the stress potential of this day. According to the Aura Cacia Facebook page, as dawn broke, we all realized we’re not going to keep all those New Year’s resolutions, the bills for Christmas extravagances have arrived, and the holiday season’s joy is only a memory.
     Chill out for fifteen minutes. It’s best done with the natural and organic essential oils from Aura Cacia, says the company. They have it on their calendar, and through use of social media, they’re aiming to get it onto the calendars of you and your friends.
     Creating a reason to come into your store shouldn’t be all that hard when it’s a pleasant place to shop and you carry appealing merchandise. Still, consumers might need the additional prompt of a special day.
     But only once a year? Well, no. According to a MarketingDaily article, chill outs are also scheduled this year for April 12 (it’s taxing), July 24 (tends to be the hottest day of the year), September 4 (summer’s over), November 5 (preparing to vote), and December 22 (more dark than light).
     Each of these dates now becomes an opportunity for promoting sales. It’s a classic technique. In the 1950’s in the San Francisco Bay Area, a popular advertising refrain was, “Tuesday is Red’s Tamale Day.” Or maybe, set a weekly quota. Blue Diamond Growers marketed their almonds with “A can a week, that’s all we ask.”
     Those are suppliers. You’re a retailer. You’ll do it with promotions like, “10% discount to senior citizens each Tuesday,” or with regularly scheduled special events.
     Once the customers have obeyed the calendar and come by your store, remember to sell.

• Research at University of Colorado and Columbia Business School suggests that the nature of a special event should take into account whether shoppers perceive the items for sale as routine or risky purchases. For items that are fairly routine purchases, special events should emphasize free trials. For items carrying financial or social risk, emphasize how-to-use-it information.
• Never let the crowds or the activities get in the way of your special event participants easily buying merchandise from you at any point.

Click below for more:
Stage Special Events to Build Sales
Make It Easy to Buy from You