Is Your Store Ready For Halloween?

The last day of October will be here before you know it. Are you making the most of this time to drive seasonal sales?

Here are a few promotions and displays you can try:

• Put together a small display of pumpkins and a couple bales of hay to attract seasonal customers. Kids will be especially interested. Ask a creative employee to build a scarecrow out of products from around the store, and to help paint some pumpkins. Use rakes and other seasonal items to complete the display.
• You can put a Halloween spin on any of your products! Try using creative wording or merchandising to add a seasonal theme to any window display or endcap. Click here to see how Troup True Value showed off its broom selection.
• Host some how-to workshops for your customers. Once you’ve put together a seasonal display, offer opportunities to customers to learn how to do the same crafts. Teach them how to build the scarecrows and offer a supply list, featuring products from your store.
• Invite kids to trick-or-treat in your store. Have employees spread throughout several departments, ready with candy. While kids are there in their costumes, you can also have a costume contest.
• Don’t forget about pets! They can also join in the trick-or-treating (employees can have some dog or cat treats in hand along with the candy for kids), and you can have a pet costume contest as well. This is also a great time to promote your pet supplies department, if you have one.
• Remind your customers to shop local this Halloween with Halloween-themed shop-local marketing materials from the Home Sweet Home Study, commissioned by the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) and Independent We Stand. You can download the themed signage and other marketing materials for free here.