Olga Kotsur, CEO & Co-founder, at in-store retail technology provider Mercaux looks at the opportunity that Halloween presents traditional retailers.
The retail calendar is about to experience mass peak trading with Christmas and Black Friday around the corner. However, all of these events, Halloween included, are a huge avenue for brick and mortar stores to encourage shoppers to spend and drive footfall.
Although it may still be seen as an American celebration, Halloween has become much more established in the retail calendar in the UK, and retailers cannot afford to ignore what is quickly becoming a landmark event. According to figures, retail sales hit £310m during Halloween last year, a 35% growth over four years and are expected to rise again to £320m in 2017.
There is no doubt that customers will want to go in-store to buy their favourite sweets, try on different costumes and ultimately, purchase products.
What is clear is that the in-store experience must now be a seamless, convenient and reliable experience. Yes, these traits are all commonly associated with online, but there’s no reason brick and mortar stores can’t achieve the same level of experience, especially during proactive peaks.
The key to success is in offering an engaging and seamless customer experience across all channels. Ecommerce is a great avenue to reach the customer, but the physical store remains a fantastic revenue driver, particularly when retail peaks are taking place. Retailers must take what customers crave online and implement it in-store.
Promotional activity offers an initial draw, but by using apps, inventory systems and similar in-store technology, sales assistants can show shoppers what’s on offer and right for their taste. Along with Black Friday, Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Halloween is a welcome opportunity to traditional retailers, and clearly those that choose to embrace it by providing the best service will not only see huge financial benefits but will secure the customer’s long-term attention.”
By Olga Kotsur
CEO & Co-founder