Christmas - an opportunity for companies to boost their sales.

Christmas is a religious tradition which stems from Christianity. On Christmas Eve, Jesus Christ was born and every year Christians all over the world celebrate his birth. Traditionally, families gathered around a festive meal, and then went to Church all together. Nowadays, we still celebrate Christmas, but not for the same reason and not in the same way. Families still gather around a festive meal, but fewer and fewer people go to Church. The religious aspect has been forgotten and people think more about Santa Claus, an old man living in the North Pole who gives presents to nice children on Christmas day.Gifts have become the central point of the celebrations, and now children and adults want to get presents, giving companies an opportunity to boost their sales.

In order to optimize the event, companies spend a lot of time preparing the Christmas period, and do everything they can do to incite people to buy their products. As people spend a lot of time looking for the perfect present for their loved ones, it is crucial for companies to propose the best products and to adopt the Christmas spirit.

How do companies benefit from the "Christmas spirit" to boost their sales ?

First, decorations play an important part in the visiting figures of] a company before Christmas. They try to create a pleasant, welcoming and festive atmosphere to enter into the Christmas spirit and get people to enter their stores. Indeed, people are said to be more inclined to enter a shop when it is well decorated and full of Christmas spirit. This is why some luxury brands and companies spend a lot of time and money on their Christmas decorations –  in France, the Galleries Lafayette is known for its use of shiny and classy ornaments, entertaining shop windows and a giant Christmas tree.

Colours are also taken into account. A shop using pink, blue,and purple as a Christmas decoration wouldn’t attract a lot of people because these are colours associated with Spring, good weather, renewal and not with Christmas spirit, warmth and giving presents.

Companies take a lot of trouble to try to offer the most attractive gift boxes and arrangements designed especially for the occasion. These products are packed in a festive way, with Christmas ornaments such as snowmen, snowflakes, stars, and Christmas trees. They aim to facilitate the celebrations, offering customers the opportunity to buy ready-to-give products, and sparing them the time spent on present-wrapping that isn’t the nice part of the period. Another point is that these boxes and arrangement benefit from an attractive price. To be even more attractive, a vast majority of brands/companies propose special offers to boost their sales. If a present pleases the person who receives it, there is a chance that the person to whom it was given becomes a customer. Limited editions are also proposed in stores to boost the average basket and encourage customers to buy presents for their loved ones but also for themselves. With limited editions, customers feel special because these products are only available on Christmas and they belong to the only ones who had the opportunity to get them, and the spirit behind the product pleases them.

Advent calendars, the new “must-have”?

Originally, advents-calendar were a way to count the days before the Birth of Jesus, and little by little it has become a way to help children wait for Santa Claus to come on 25th December. Nowadays, there are different types of advent-calendars. First, there are simple calendars filled with pieces of chocolate that are designed for children. However, to boost sales and encourage parents to buy more expensive ones, brands have created more specific calendars offering toys or sweets with the shape of popular heroes. There are also advents calendars destined to parents  and adults. These offer specific products such as cosmetics, beers, figurines or even candles. This has become the new “must-have” of young people, and parents appreciate having their own calendar especially when their children become temperamental concerning theirs.

Nowadays, Christmas is far from the religious festival it used to be, and companies take the opportunity to boost their sales and seduce new customers. This is one of the most important periods of the year concerning their average basket and monthly turnover, and they know it for sure.

RUAS A.