Haidan DongIt can be hard for small print businesses to compete with big retailers on Boxing Day. With lots of clients and resources, bigger companies seem to have plenty of strategies at their disposal. But for many small business owners, however, there are a lot more constraints. This article adapts big business Boxing Day strategies into ones that small print businesses can use. With these strategies, you can get more clients for your print business and sell more print.
Boxing Day Strategies for Your Printing Business
The Boxing Day or Boxing Week Sale
Big brand retailers often launch dramatic sales on Boxing Day or Boxing Week, but this can be hard for small print shops where most prices are already as competitive as they can get. How do you launch a sale then?
Adaptation 1: Price-Break Discounts
The discount applies only after clients spend a certain amount. With a bit of calculating, you can use this strategy to ensure that you’re still making a profit when customers use the discount.
Example: Save $5 on every order over $45 before tax.
Adaptation 2: Volume Discounts
This strategy is like the price-break discount except that it uses a quantity. It’s particularly suitable for print shops because printing in bulk naturally decreases the cost per piece.
Example: Price per flyer is reduced by 4 cents when you print more than 5000 flyers.
Adaptation 3: Family and Friends Sale
If building a long-term client base is more important to you than short-term profits, you can run a sale for only family and friends of employees or certain customers, just so that they give your print services a try. Do a good printing job and they’ll be more willing to print with you again and tell others about you.
Example: Family and friends of employees get 10% off on all print products.
The Holiday Gift
Some big companies throw in a gift for every Boxing Day order they ship out. But how do you add a gift to your client’s order when print products are all customized?
Adaptation 4: Product Sample
Generate future business by including a sample of a product that your clients haven’t purchased yet. If you’re launching or have just launched a new product, give customers a sample of it when delivering their orders. Be sure to say what it’s a sample of on the sample itself.
E.g. Include a specialty paper business card sample with every order of business cards.
Adaptation 5: Common Signage
Certain signs are popular among a variety of business types, such as open/closed signs and thank-you-for-visiting signs. Consider offering your customers a generic piece of signage for orders over a certain amount on Boxing Day.
E.g. Get a free thank-you sign when you spend over $50 on December 26.
The Shipping Deal
Large retailers often offer free shipping, especially during Boxing Day/Week, but this can get expensive for small print businesses. You can nevertheless offer shipping deals that are more feasible.
Adaptation 6: Geographically Limited Free Shipping
By limiting your free shipping to a specific area, you can target certain audiences where shipping is less expensive. A good place to start is free local shipping, especially if you have the time and transportation to deliver the order yourself.
Example: Free local delivery to anywhere in Plattsburg on all orders placed during Boxing Week.
Adaptation 7: Flat Rate Shipping
Setting a flat shipping rate has two advantages. First, your clients cover at least part of the shipping costs and second, it encourages them to place larger orders to offset that cost. Flat shipping rates are particularly good for printers who sell a lot of the same type of products.
Example: Enjoy $10 flat rate shipping on all Boxing Week orders.
Adaptation 8: Price-Break Free Shipping
Like the price-break discount, clients only get this special offer when they spend a certain amount on their order. This also encourages your clients to spend more to hit the price-break point.
Example: Free shipping on all orders over $60.
Final Tips for Printing Business Boxing Day Strategies
Here are a few final tips for your Boxing Day strategies for print sellers.
Make sure you communicate your offers to your clients. Draft good email subject lines and preheaders because they’ll get lots of emails on Boxing Day.
Post your holiday schedule in advance so your clients know what to expect. Be prepared for extended hours.
Figure out what could go wrong beforehand and plan accordingly. For example, shipping delays are a common issue.
Always remember that Boxing Day/Week is an opportunity to build business for the rest of the year, so take this chance to ask clients to subscribe to your emails, announce events in the next year, and award customer loyalty.
Keep track of what went well and what didn’t so that you can improve next year.
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Competition is unavoidable when it comes to business. being creative and positive would set you apart and your steps to a successful business.
Hi Becca, we agree with you—creativity and positivity are important when it comes to planning strategies that set you apart from the competition. Thanks for sharing with us.