Six winning strategies for retailers to have a profitable Black Friday and Christmas

As the busy holiday season approaches, retailers everywhere are gearing up for the most lucrative period of the year. For retailers, Black Friday and Christmas represent not just a sales opportunity, but a chance to showcase new products, bigger ranges and having a customer-centric approach.

According to recent research conducted by the National Retail Federation, global holiday sales are projected to surpass $1.6 trillion. With shoppers starting earlier than ever, the pressure is on to stand out and make every customer interaction count.

Whether you run a boutique, manage a chain, or sell online, these strategies will help you thrive during peak trade.

1. Catch the savvy shopper

Gone are the days of last-minute holiday rushes. Nearly half of shoppers now begin browsing before November, with Gen Z and millennials leading the charge. Over 60% of deal-seekers begin their Black Friday hunt before Halloween, and most expect Christmas to be pricier than last year.

Give the customer ideas of how to use the product best. Share gift guides, styling videos, outfit builds to showcase looks and Christmas bundles with multiple different products that could compliment core product ranges.

You could launch “early access” or “sneak peek” deals in November ahead of December. Selling through seasonal products is crucial so giving the lead-in time longer than 4 weeks, by even an additional 2 weeks, can mean the difference in selling stock off in the January sales or retaining a better margin and selling at full price.

2. Women are the power spenders

Women drive most household purchases and gifting decisions. They plan, compare, and value brands that feel trustworthy and human.

Use in-store marketing campaigns to drive more customer engagement by making products easy to compare the differences – this might be through POS signage and how it’s communicated. Provide clear value, not just deep discounts, this can be seen in Dunnes and Tesco – they may have their own low-price range such as ‘basics’ then middle range ‘everyday’ and finally the higher priced ‘signature’ range.

Offering solutions such as outfits, bundles and gift sets also gives you so many opportunities to cross sell into other departments and other products.

3. Master your inventory

Peak season isn’t about over-ordering and hoping for the best. It’s about smart planning. Ensuring that your store is ranged with the correct stock quantities and correct product range is crucial to your stores success in growing sales:

• Analyse last year’s data: what sold out, what lagged, what was returned and what ranges needed to be reviewed more often and ordered. Create a replenishment system during peak trade that supports having the right amount of stock at the right time.
• Review bestsellers and slow sellers weekly, this will help with setting up your shopfloor commercially every Monday morning. Move products into your key sightlines, on your window displays and instore mannequins or display units. Reviewing poor sellers and showcasing them differently to appeal to a different customer segmentation may help in selling the products better.
• Create bundles to move slower stock. This can be created in gift boxes in store as it’s a great way to link sell products that would compliment the main purchase.

4. Be smart with promotions

You don’t need to slash prices across the board. Customers are value-conscious but loyal to brands they trust. But having promotions that help drive average spend will positively impact margin and drive a better return for your store.

Try tiered discounts (Buy 2, save 10%; Buy 3, save 20%). Having a limited amount of stock available at this discount also helps drive shoppers’ decision to purchase now rather than later. Having signage that illustrates limited availability.

Perhaps offer a free gift with a purchase. Some brands are doing this well all year round such as Rituals, and it helps drive a returning customer as they are given a free gift of a bestselling product that they may have never tried – this will encourage additional sales in the future from a new product.

Flash sales for 2–4 hours works well online. The ‘limited availability’ creates an urgency to spend and can entice shoppers to purchase sooner rather than later. Or a VIP early access for email subscribers giving exclusivity to shoppers helping enhance the profile of a product.

5. Supercharge your online experience

Online sales are growing faster than in-store, and women are leading the charge—especially in fashion and accessories. In 2024, global Black Friday spending reached $74.4 billion, up 5% from the previous year, with 71% of people shopping online.

Ways you can achieve this:

• Fast-loading – don’t make the customer wait, make it as seamless as possible so the customer never feels they have to work for it.
• Most purchases are being carried out on mobiles so having a mobile-friendly website will help make the process seamless.
• Clear photos and concise descriptions of products will help that gifting customer if they are purchasing for someone else.
• Upfront prices and shipping info is crucial ensuring that you give enough time for shipping – tell customers of the cut-off date for delivery of items.
• For a simple, quick checkout ensure that your website does not have lagging issues. Have a contact page or chat bot if any issues occur at checkout, this can be the difference of closing the sale or losing the sale.
• Click and collect option instore can really help drive footfall into physical stores and encourage more add-on sales. You can use this service to create a selling opportunity, clothing retailers could invite customers to try on items they purchased in a fitting room so that they could see what the items look like on.

6. Your daily shop window

Social commerce is exploding. Around 7 in 10 global shoppers now buy via social media. Social media ads drove a 51% year-over-year increase in online revenue during the holidays.

Here are a few tips on how to use social media to your selling advantage:

• Three ways to wear it: Engage shopfloor staff by featuring them in product styling videos. Encourage team members to select a ‘Pick of the Week’ or ‘Pick of the Day,’ showcasing their favourite items. This approach fosters authentic engagement and facilitates meaningful conversations with shoppers both online and in-store.
• Gifts under €50 reels: Create short video reels highlighting gift options under €50. These reels provide shoppers with practical gifting ideas, particularly useful during the holiday season.
• New arrivals unboxing and behind-the-scenes content: Share unboxing videos and behind-the-scenes footage of order packing. This content offers customers an exclusive look at new products and the fulfillment process, enhancing transparency and excitement.
• Countdown graphics for Black Friday and Christmas: Develop visually appealing countdown graphics to promote upcoming sales events such as Black Friday and Christmas. Effective in-store marketing, when clearly communicated, can build anticipation and drive interest in limited-time promotions.
• Customer reviews and try-on videos: Feature customer reviews and product try-on videos to assist shoppers in making informed purchasing decisions. Authentic feedback and demonstrations are valuable tools for building trust and credibility.

Women are the decision-makers, planners, and spenders. As a woman in retail, you have the unique advantage of understanding her. This season isn’t about discounting everything or burning out. It’s about staying organised, building trust, creating value, and making things simpler for your customers.

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