2008 Christmas SeasonHow will the economy impact 2008's Christmas and holiday shopping season? Esther C Kane
November 04, 2008
The 2008 Christmas season will definitely be a reflection of the
economy at the time. And by all accounts, the economy during Christmas
2008 will not be good. As more and more economists tell us that we
haven't yet hit rock bottom, the worst is yet to come, etc. I think
it's only fair to conclude that we will be in for a rocky ride not only
for the end of 2008 but most if not all of 2009. Let's hope it ends in
2009! But, time will tell.
But, back to
2008 Christmas season - how can you prepare your business? If your
business is brick and mortar, if it's online, if it's both, you need to
make sure that you'll be ready for the holidays. Mark Hutcherson from
the Hutch Report gives his opinion, "My personal opinion is that 2008 will be a banner
year for online shopping in the US. Unlike traveling from store to
store looking for the best price on a Christmas gift, millions of
Americans will use the Internet to find and buy those gifts at greatly
reduced prices. This trend toward Internet shopping in 2008 will
further put pressure on local retail locations to also cut their
prices much earlier than they would prefer to do."
Do you agree with him? If you do, are you prepared to meet the needs of your customers?
Maybe you don't agree with him. Maybe you think it'll be a very slow
season, that may be true, but what if you're wrong? Will you lose out
while your competition wins?
Australia's CRN reports "Credit crunch sending shoppers online for cheaper presents."
Here are some quick tips just in case you haven't yet begun to think about the 2008 Christmas season.
1) Discount, discount, discount. This year it's all about how low can you go?
2) Be more mindful than ever about the needs of your clients. How can YOU make THEIR lives easier?
3) Build your online trust by joining and participating in the social
media programs like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. It's the best way
to build your online trust factor.
Although the world has less to spend this year, it doesn't mean they
will avoid spending. Christmas and the holiday season in 2008 will
still occur, will your business be a part of it? Or will you just be
watching?
|