The holiday shopping window in campus stores goes fast. Use these tips to capitalize on the influx of student holiday shoppers looking for the perfect gifts, great deals and fun experiences that will fit into their busy schedule and add to the season’s festivities.
November through December students are balancing finals, making travel plans and squeezing in as many social events as they can before the term ends. Tailor your store’s strategies to accomplish three goals:
- Drive in-store visits
- Promote online purchases
- Create lasting engagement
Campus Store Holiday Retail Tips
- Predict this year’s hot items: Prepare for the store’s holiday demands. Look at your store’s business intelligence and data from the last couple of years. Look for trends in merchandise sales, tech, study aids and gifts. Make sure you are stocked up on those items and put them in front and center for holiday shoppers.
- Plan time-sensitive product drops: Timing is everything. Offering limited edition items at just the right time makes the campus store a must-follow through the season. Consider holiday bundles like an Exam Survival Kit with snacks, notebooks, pens, Warmies, campus mug, etc. Or a Gift for Dad bundle with grill accessories, socks, and historical biography. Bundles can be a fantastic way to pair products and give shoppers an easy, thoughtful gift. Plan to sell the bundles online but make them available for same-day in-store pickup. This will give you the opportunity to make additional sales in-store.
- Offer tempting student discounts: Discounts are a fantastic way to get cost conscious student shoppers into your store or to look at your website. Possibilities are endless. You can offer promotions like in-store BOGO deals when you show your student ID, email online promo codes for hot holiday items, discounts for sharing photos of themselves wearing campus store merchandise on social media, give students the choice to buy online and pick up in-store to avoid shipping charges, etc.
- Sell exclusive campus-themed gifts: Set your store apart from big-box retailers. Partner with local vendors to sell exclusive items that represent your campus. This could be a big seller for students and alumni alike. You could also create a countdown to winter break gift calendar with a little surprise gift for each day.
- Host an ugly sweater shopping night: Help students get into the holiday spirit with an ugly sweater shopping night. Give everyone in an ugly sweater a special discount and create some holiday shopping guides with gift ideas and ways to save. Provide attendees with hot chocolate, set up a photo backdrop, and maybe give local musicians a chance to play.
As you go into the holiday season, look for ways to blend in-store charm with digital ease that is tailored to student shoppers. Make sure you track results and take notes to make next year’s events even more successful.
