UK consumers begin shopping for the Christmas period as early as September, new research by virtual assistant provider ava reveals.
The research showed that 28% of British consumers start thinking about Christmas in September or October, with women generally preferring to start their preparations earlier; 35% of women selected September to October, compared with only 20% of men.
In addition, age played a part in organisation ahead of the holiday period, with 40% of people aged 24-54 saying they prepare for Christmas from September or October compared with 38% of 18-24-year-olds.
Lucie Greenwood, Sales Manager at ava, said: “Businesses really can’t afford to be slack in other months. It’s all about building up that customer loyalty; if people are treated well by your business, then they are more likely to remember you when the time for buying Christmas presents arrives.”
Meanwhile, Graham Morgan, business consultant from Business Doctors, advised: “Understand trends from the past few years. Look at the spikes and troughs and ensure that team members are prepared to correctly handle busy periods. Even a single day when customers experience poor service can have lasting consequences, especially given the impact social media has in steering perceptions.
“Anticipate problems and have contingency plans to go above and beyond for customers. Snow is an obvious one but heat and, of course, floods can also impact on customer service. You will stand out if you don’t treat extreme circumstances as a reason to break your continuity of service.”
