Did you have a good Valentine's Day For retailers, of course, every Valentine is special as it marks the first post-Xmas opportunity to make significant sales. It is estimated that Brits spend almost £1 billion on Valentine's Day gifts and experiences. And the great news for retailers is that as sure as day follows night, one promotional period follows another: Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, various Saints Days, Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night etc.
Can estate agents learn any lessons from retailer's promotional activities Do you make any changes to the way in which you work according to the calendar One answer is NO - many of us are happy to carry on regardless. There may be good reasons for this. Most of us believe we operate in a market affected by the season - reducing levels of activity in winter and around summer holidays etc - so avoiding highlighting this makes commercial sense.
But there may be sound reasons for making the most of these seasonal/promotional/Bank Holiday activities. Firstly, it can be fun and helps break up what would otherwise be a pretty samey' year. Changing an estate agent window display to reflect Valentine's Day, Easter or Halloween adds extra interest and gets the creative juices flowing. Look down your High Street (if you still have one) and see how a window displays can affect how you feel about a shop or retailer. A truly eye-catching display becomes its own PR - and we all know how valuable that can be.
Secondly, it's no secret that some of the leading retailers use the year's promotional calendar to create some effective marketing campaigns. Estate Agents can benefit from leveraging the zeitgeist, if you'll pardon my French: a campaign to show the love' to potential vendors at Valentines; a special gift for all moms who register or list their property on Mother's Day; an Easter card (or Easter ecard) to vendors or registered buyers with opening hours and best wishes- small, low-cost touches that show you care and that you have a creative approach in EVERYTHING you do.
Bank Holidays are times when some of the biggest DIY and homeware retailers pour millions into advertising, offers and promotions because they know how many are likely to go shopping if they don't go holidaying. As the old retail saying goes What's good for B&Q is also good for you. Make the most of people's free time and their desire to DO SOMETHING. It might be a good time for Open Houses. It might be worthwhile promoting valuations on the Bank Holiday Weekend (what do you mean you wanted to have the Bank Holiday off). It is a good time for offers and discounts too.
Happy Mother's Day!
We'd love to hear from you. Do you have a calendar of promotions throughout the year Do you think we can learn lessons from retailers to develop our sector
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