We came across this photo today and it reminded us of how much we miss Memorytrends Expo. It was a fun show with lots of camaraderie, both on and off the show floor. (Remember the time we were all at Harrah’s Carnaval Court and some guy … never mind. You really had to be there!)
One of the best parts of the show was the Mardi Gras Marketing Madness Retailer Roundtable -- 90 non-stop minutes of the best ideas out there, plus the historic crowning of the Mardi Gras Queen and her court.
The bad news: You will never have a chance to attend one of our Mardi Gras Marketing Madness events at Memorytrends Expo.
One of the best parts of the show was the Mardi Gras Marketing Madness Retailer Roundtable -- 90 non-stop minutes of the best ideas out there, plus the historic crowning of the Mardi Gras Queen and her court.
The bad news: You will never have a chance to attend one of our Mardi Gras Marketing Madness events at Memorytrends Expo.
The GOOD NEWS!! We are doing a 90 minute program at CHA Summer that's tentively titled "4th Quarter Calendar.” Attendees will leave the seminar with a fully-loaded fourth quarter calendar that’s packed with one MAJOR and two to three MINOR no-cost, low-cost traffic-building, door-spinning in-store events for the months of September, October, November and December 2009, plus a few more for January 2010 to start you off on the right foot. Attendees will also receive explicit, detailed how-to instructions, customizable ad slicks, Bag Stuffers, press release templates, and well, just about everything you need to plan Shoppertainment events that rock. If you're looking for real ideas to help you grow your business, this is one seminar you won’t want to miss.
In the mean time, here are some of our favorite events and ideas from Mardi Gras Madness. And by the way, each and every one of them is a tried and true retail success!
• World’s Greatest Shopping Night. Choose one night each week, from October through Christmas, and keep the store open for an extra two hours. Make it a festive night, one that keeps gift-giving on customers’ minds. Serve hot apple cider and cookies. And provide free gift wrapping. Customers love little touches!
• School Fundraiser Night. Determine a specific school to benefit from this night, and then advertise via Bag Stuffers and directly to teachers, PTA members, etc. When a customer makes a purchase and mentions the specific school, you donate 20 percent of the sale to that school. You could even do this to benefit a particular classroom – we think teachers will line up to get their classroom on your list!
• Shop Hop. Get together with other area retailers to host this. Encourage participating retailers to add extra excitement with make-it & take-its, product demos, give-aways, and contests. Run your Shop Hop Wednesday through Sunday and let customers enjoy the camaraderie of other shoppers on the “hop.” The retailer who shared this idea said the participating store owners enjoyed FOUR times their usual sales and attracted many new customers!
• Wild & Wacky Wednesdays. This is geared to help boost sales and foot traffic on slow sales days. In the contributing retailer’s case, Wednesday fit the bill. She begins by sending e-mail blasts inviting customers to join her on “Wild Wacky Wednesday.” Customers enjoy a quick make-it/take-it project and a tasty snack. Customers now look forward to shopping on Wednesday and sales have increased. This retailer chooses her make-it/take-its wisely, knowing a free 6”x6” layout project will lead to the purchase of a 6”x6” album.
• Monthly Scrapper’s Challenge. Create scrapbooking kits from a collection of slow-moving product. Participants pay $3 for the kit and must create a project using some of everything in the kit. Display the projects throughout the store for two weeks, with the winner selected by popular vote. The winner receives a prize along with the honor that comes from designing a cool new project.
• Home School Moms. Offer a special class or crop for kids who are home schooled. Home schooled kids need interaction with other children their own age, so host this event once a month for children ages 6 and up. And, as this contributing retailer smartly pointed out, once you get a child’s attention, you get Mom’s and Dad’s as well. That leads to sales!
• Create-a-Card Care Packages. Send these to service men and women stationed overseas. Purchase pre-cut card kits or create your own. One retailer packages two kits together with a gluestick and a pen. The kits sell for $4 if the customer buys the kit and donates it to be sent in a care package; $5 if the customer wants to keep the kit for his/her own use.
• 12 Give-a-ways of Christmas. All qualifying orders and purchases are put in a drawing for 11 small-to-medium prizes, and one big prize: the contributing retailer gave away a 12”x17” scanner. This contest is sure to create some excitement, so be sure to request e-mail addresses from entrants. Tell them this is how the winners will be notified. These e-mail addresses will come in handy when you send your next e-mail blast.
This is a take-off on our “Twelve Days of Christmas” event where you host a minor event (make-it & take-it, demo, give-a-way, crop, etc.) for the 12 days leading up to Christmas Eve. Throw in a major in-store event as well. Create a Refrigerator Calendar Bag Stuffer for the month of December and distribute it the end of November. E-mail us for all the details.
• Mothers’ Day Out. This is held two Fridays each month, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. The first half is a class, the second half, a crop. Participants also enjoy a 10 percent discount on items purchased that day.
• Community Partners Network. Create this with other area business owners. It’s also known as a Partnership Promotion because it increases sales opportunities for both partners. Choose partners whose customer base scrapbook, or who might be interested in learning, then ask your partner for permission to host a scrapbooking seminar or crop for their customers. Make it look like the seminar is a gift from your partnering business. Target businesses could include travel agencies, sports clubs, MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), and the Chamber of Commerce.
Come back tomorrow for No-cost, Low-cost In-Store Event Ideas – Part 2!
In the mean time, here are some of our favorite events and ideas from Mardi Gras Madness. And by the way, each and every one of them is a tried and true retail success!
• World’s Greatest Shopping Night. Choose one night each week, from October through Christmas, and keep the store open for an extra two hours. Make it a festive night, one that keeps gift-giving on customers’ minds. Serve hot apple cider and cookies. And provide free gift wrapping. Customers love little touches!
• School Fundraiser Night. Determine a specific school to benefit from this night, and then advertise via Bag Stuffers and directly to teachers, PTA members, etc. When a customer makes a purchase and mentions the specific school, you donate 20 percent of the sale to that school. You could even do this to benefit a particular classroom – we think teachers will line up to get their classroom on your list!
• Shop Hop. Get together with other area retailers to host this. Encourage participating retailers to add extra excitement with make-it & take-its, product demos, give-aways, and contests. Run your Shop Hop Wednesday through Sunday and let customers enjoy the camaraderie of other shoppers on the “hop.” The retailer who shared this idea said the participating store owners enjoyed FOUR times their usual sales and attracted many new customers!
• Wild & Wacky Wednesdays. This is geared to help boost sales and foot traffic on slow sales days. In the contributing retailer’s case, Wednesday fit the bill. She begins by sending e-mail blasts inviting customers to join her on “Wild Wacky Wednesday.” Customers enjoy a quick make-it/take-it project and a tasty snack. Customers now look forward to shopping on Wednesday and sales have increased. This retailer chooses her make-it/take-its wisely, knowing a free 6”x6” layout project will lead to the purchase of a 6”x6” album.
• Monthly Scrapper’s Challenge. Create scrapbooking kits from a collection of slow-moving product. Participants pay $3 for the kit and must create a project using some of everything in the kit. Display the projects throughout the store for two weeks, with the winner selected by popular vote. The winner receives a prize along with the honor that comes from designing a cool new project.
• Home School Moms. Offer a special class or crop for kids who are home schooled. Home schooled kids need interaction with other children their own age, so host this event once a month for children ages 6 and up. And, as this contributing retailer smartly pointed out, once you get a child’s attention, you get Mom’s and Dad’s as well. That leads to sales!
• Create-a-Card Care Packages. Send these to service men and women stationed overseas. Purchase pre-cut card kits or create your own. One retailer packages two kits together with a gluestick and a pen. The kits sell for $4 if the customer buys the kit and donates it to be sent in a care package; $5 if the customer wants to keep the kit for his/her own use.
• 12 Give-a-ways of Christmas. All qualifying orders and purchases are put in a drawing for 11 small-to-medium prizes, and one big prize: the contributing retailer gave away a 12”x17” scanner. This contest is sure to create some excitement, so be sure to request e-mail addresses from entrants. Tell them this is how the winners will be notified. These e-mail addresses will come in handy when you send your next e-mail blast.
This is a take-off on our “Twelve Days of Christmas” event where you host a minor event (make-it & take-it, demo, give-a-way, crop, etc.) for the 12 days leading up to Christmas Eve. Throw in a major in-store event as well. Create a Refrigerator Calendar Bag Stuffer for the month of December and distribute it the end of November. E-mail us for all the details.
• Mothers’ Day Out. This is held two Fridays each month, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. The first half is a class, the second half, a crop. Participants also enjoy a 10 percent discount on items purchased that day.
• Community Partners Network. Create this with other area business owners. It’s also known as a Partnership Promotion because it increases sales opportunities for both partners. Choose partners whose customer base scrapbook, or who might be interested in learning, then ask your partner for permission to host a scrapbooking seminar or crop for their customers. Make it look like the seminar is a gift from your partnering business. Target businesses could include travel agencies, sports clubs, MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), and the Chamber of Commerce.
Come back tomorrow for No-cost, Low-cost In-Store Event Ideas – Part 2!
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