3 Simple Holiday Marketing Ideas for Grocery Retailers

How to Help Your Customers with Seasonal Grocery Shopping

With all of the stressors of the holidays, the last thing your customers need is to be worried about their seasonal grocery shopping. Luckily you can help by making it easier for them: from meal planning to execution and everything in between. Here are 3 ideas for marketing during the holiday season that your customers will appreciate.

1. Start with the basics: meet the needs of last-minute shoppers.

Construct a comprehensive display near the entrance to your store that stocks as many of the commonly purchased holiday grocery items as possible: canned pumpkin, pie fillings, and crusts, boxed stuffing mix, etc. Harried shoppers who have run out of these items will appreciate not having to search the store when they’re in a rush and will remember this assistance later.

2. Develop sample menu plans for customers to use.

Create several example plans, for meals such as formal gatherings and casual family dinners. You can include detailed shopping lists and instructions for each meal, as well as photos of the process and finished product. Invest in professional design for these and be sure to include your logo and branding.

For distribution, display and hand them out in your store, but also consider adding them to your flyers and promotional materials in mailings and online. While this doesn’t guarantee that shoppers who use them will purchase their ingredients at your store, it does create awareness of your brand and position your store as a leader. Even people who use your ideas but shop at other stores are likely to recall how you’ve helped the moment they have a negative experience at their current store. You’ll be top of mind when they’re looking to make a switch.

3. Host tasting events to showcase premiere products, suggest pairings, and spark new ideas.

For customers who struggle to come up with new, creative ideas for holiday events, a well-executed event featuring samples and suggestions can be a game-changer.

Depending on the sampling laws in your state or municipality, you can plan a free event or require a small tasting fee. Pair wines or beer with cheeses, nuts, fruits, gourmet popcorn (Gold Medal offers guides for gourmet popcorn pairings with wine and beer), and other hors d'oeuvre and snacks. Use this opportunity to introduce customers to exclusive private label items they can only get at your store.

These relatively easy-to-implement ideas will enhance the customer experience at your store and create lasting positive impressions.

Looking for more ideas to wow your customers? Try adding a sweet shop setup or creating a seasonal market in your store.