The second half of the year is brimming with opportunities for the Mexican retail sector. Between summer, back-to-school season, Buen Fin, the December holidays, and other key dates, sales are soaring, and the best-prepared brands will reap the greatest success.
In this blog post, Fabiola Paredes, Director of Retails Coaching, shares a comprehensive guide to help your brand succeed on shelves and in sales during the second half of 2024.
The key to success: organization and planning
To make the most of the opportunities in the second half of the year, it's essential to be organized and plan ahead. This includes:
- Define your objectives: What do you want to achieve during the second half of the year? Increase sales? Improve your brand positioning? Attract new customers? Having clear objectives will help you focus your efforts.
- Analyze the market: Research industry trends, your customers' preferences, and your competitors' strategies. This information will help you make informed decisions.
- Create an activity calendar: Plan ahead for all the activities you'll be doing during the second half of the year, from marketing campaigns to in-store promotions.
- Allocate resources: Define the budget and human resources you will need to carry out your plan.
A plan for every season
The second half of the year is packed with key dates for retail in Mexico. Below, we present an action plan for each of them:
July
- Summer Sales: Take advantage of the last few weeks of warm weather to offer discounts on seasonal clothing, footwear, and accessories. If your product is on the shelves, you should have already sent out promotions and discounts in a timely manner, taking advantage of the platforms that various retail giants in Mexico are promoting during the summer to bolster the holiday season, such as Soriana's Julio Regalado and HEB's Verano Loco, among others.
- Back to School: Get ready for the school season with discounts on school supplies, backpacks, uniforms, and laptops.
Strategies:
- Announce your offers in advance: Use your social media, website, and email marketing to communicate your discounts and promotions.
- Packaging and point-of-sale design: Stand out with updated packaging to attract attention compared to competing brands. Make use of the necessary spaces, headbands, and elements to draw attention to your product, even on the shelf through POP elements.
- Train your staff: Make sure the department store team knows your product; they can be key in recommending your offerings and answering questions about the category. Rely on your chain liaison for this.
August
- Back to School: Continue with back-to-school deals, covering categories such as lunch items, school supplies, clothing, uniforms, electronics like tablets, computers, and more. Don't slack off and prepare your value proposition and sales strategy starting in July to ensure success.
Strategies:
- Create family-oriented marketing campaigns: Use images and messages that appeal to both parents and children.
- It offers special promotions for groups: Student discounts on electronics, just like Apple does with its computers.
September
- Fiestas Patrias: Celebrate the national holidays with promotions on traditional Mexican products, decorations, and party supplies. Prepared beverages, alcohol, and Mexican paraphernalia are especially important. Remember to prepare starting in August with your value proposition and discounts or packages to have everything ready by September.
Strategies:
- Launch a special edition of products: Create unique products or products with national designs to celebrate the holidays. Create packages or bundles like those promoted by beer-focused convenience stores (when you buy 24 of a beer brand, get a free bottled water).
- Decorate your product or space with the colors of the Mexican flag and promote the "Made in Mexico" message if you have a Mexican brand.
October
- Day of the Dead: Get ready for this holiday with deals on costumes, decorations, sweets, and traditional products.
- Halloween: Celebrate Halloween with discounts on costumes, decorations, and candy.
Strategies:
- Create a unique shopping experience: Decorate your store or product with Day of the Dead or Halloween motifs.
- Offers special discounts on products in relevant categories.
November
- Buen Fin: Get ready for the most important shopping event of the year with aggressive discounts and promotions across all product categories.
- Black Friday: Take advantage of the opportunity to prepare for this U.S. commercial holiday by postponing your discounts and promotions and boosting sales. Try to create a pricing strategy that's a bit different from Buen Fin to attract sales left over from Buen Fin.
- Cyber ​​Monday: Take advantage of this day to offer special discounts on electronics and technology products.
Strategies:
- Register your store for Buen Fin: So your customers can find you on the event's official platform.
- Create a special landing page for Buen Fin: Where your customers can see all your offers in one place.
- Offers free or discounted shipping, MSI payment options, and aggressive discounts.
December
- Christmas: Kick off the holiday season with deals on decor, toys, clothing, and gifts.
- Black Friday: Participate in this global shopping event with discounts and promotions on a wide variety of products.
- End of the Year: Celebrate the December holidays with special offers and promotions to say goodbye to the year and welcome the new one.
Strategies:
- Create an emotional marketing campaign: Use images and messages that convey the Christmas spirit and appeal to your customers' emotions.
- Offer flexible payment options: Make purchasing easier for your customers with options like installment payments, interest-free installments, or gift vouchers.
Remember:
- The key to success is organization and planning.
- Adapt your strategy to the needs of your business and your target audience.
- Take advantage of digital tools to promote your products and offers.
- Provide excellent customer service to build customer loyalty.
- Don't neglect logistics and the supply chain to ensure fast and efficient deliveries.
Follow these tips and you'll be ready to succeed in the second half of 2024!
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