How to Host a Successful Christmas Open House
For 36 years, Kathy and her team at Seasons of the Heart Gift Shoppe in Anderson, Indiana, have been rocking their Christmas Open House. They’ve got their formula down pat – from praying to planning their crew is always ready for the most wonderful (and busiest) time of year. ???? I had an amazing chat with Kathy recently, and I wanted to share some of her keys to success when hosting a Christmas Open House. December will be here before we know it! Let’s get you and your store ready to host your best (or first!) holiday store event.
Tip 1: Choose a Theme
A planning session in January is when Kathy and her team get things moving. They start by deciding on a theme for their Christmas Open House. They search for lots of inspiration – sometimes from childhood memories or a book. This year, cozy mittens are what you’ll see all around their store. When choosing a theme, Kathy says it’s about serving her customers and fitting the demographic’s needs. She knows her regulars well and what they’re already looking for. If you’re new to the retail industry, don’t worry! You’ll soon be able to tell what your shoppers gravitate towards, whether that’s a farmhouse style, modern look, or anything in between!
Tip 2: Get to Know Your Demographic
Once Kathy is set on a theme, she then starts shopping for products that match or complement it. Kathy says her store is always eclectic. She’s up against big box stores and tries very hard to be unique. With her years of experience looking at different items and vendors, she’s decided to choose products that give a lovely, warm holiday feeling. After studying her customers, she has realized that people are looking for gifts that are not just cutesy, but that will keep on giving throughout the year. Cross-merchandising is also key to her Christmas Open House success.
Her first duty is to find products with mittens on them to make the theme come to life throughout her store. She especially loves to greet shoppers with two standard flags on her store’s porch that match the theme. She also makes sure to purchase categories that her customers already love. MatMates and Door Décor are some of their favorites. She loves to cross-merchandise multiple product lines from flags to MailWraps, to create interest for her customers.
Tip 3: The Four Lap Method
After Kathy finds the perfect products that match her Christmas theme, she then starts planning her displays. Kathy’s strategy is to lay out the merchandise so customers take four trips around the store. How does she do that? Well, she makes sure to display the items at various levels. Shoppers usually take one lap to view things at eye level, then above eye level, and lastly, below eye level. Since there’s so much to look at in every direction, customers usually make a fourth lap to scan the store to make their final selections. Isn’t that a great way to keep a customer’s interest?
Placing products in unique ways is also key to drawing shoppers in. She places MatMates and other matching products on a wall covered in burlap. She also uses her front porch to feature products to entice customers to come inside to see all she has to offer. Kathy has a central island in her store that she’s able to break up into individual islands. Doing this helps create a flow to walk around each island to view different products. Playing with different lighting techniques is also important to create a cozy Christmas atmosphere. One of the ways she incorporates lighting is by putting strings of lights into the displays and decorative greenery.
Tip 4: Getting the Word Out
Kathy always hosts her Christmas Open House in early to mid-November. To promote the event, she uses her email list, snail mail, and flyers to spread the word. She says people still love to receive a card in the mail – it’s a nice personal touch. Kathy even promotes the event in her town’s local paper! She also uses her store’s Facebook Page to pump up the excitement leading up to the open house. One of her keys to success has been using Optima, a marketing service that publishes advertisements on the Internet about her event. It’s been a time saver for Kathy, and she loves seeing the results of new customers browsing her store around the holidays.
Tip 5: Fantastic Freebies
Kathy doesn’t just host the Christmas Open House for one day but three days! Since the pandemic, Kathy has kept one method the same – taking phone orders and delivering them quickly. Over the past two years, her customers (like many others across the States) were hesitant to be in small spaces during COVID-19. But this year, her customers have become more comfortable with her store’s safety practices, like keeping surfaces clean and providing hand sanitizer. She’s looking forward to a very busy open house.
During the event, she makes sure her staff has doubled due to the amount of foot traffic that she gets in her store. She also provides snacks and lunch for her staff to keep them well-fed and happy. ????
Kathy’s open house has never been about markdowns or sales. She might have a few specials, but generally, she offers a free gift to say thank you when a customer purchases a specific amount. She loves making her shoppers feel extra special during the event by offering unique, spectacular, and sparkly items. Kathy loves to provide gifts that they can’t find anywhere else.
Thank you for stopping by the blog! I hope these tips help you create the best Christmas Open House ever! Here’s to a rewarding holiday season ahead.
Ashlee Xavier, Studio M Marketing Specialist
